It only fits 60 people; there is no microphone, no lighting and no dressing room – unless you count chancing your luck in the upstairs ladies toilet.
But Dublin’s Comedy Cellar club has a very good claim to be the most successful comedy club in the world in terms of the big stars it has nurtured and developed.
Tomorrow night, The Cellar (as it is known to everyone) celebrates its 25th anniversary and in typical ramshackle, unplanned fashion anything could happen on the night.
The Cellar – which is upstairs at the International Bar on Wicklow Street – was set up in 1988 by Ardal O’Hanlon, Kevin Gildea and Barry Murphy (pictured) with Dermot Carmody. Known as Mr Trellis – The Mormon, the sketch group were looking for an outlet for their comedic talent. There has been a Wednesday night show ever since.
Later joined by acts such as Alex Lyons, Fat Man’s Picnic Basket, Karl McDermott and The Quacksquad, the Cellar went on to discover some now household names.
The night in the early 1990s when Eddie Izzard dropped by for an unpublicised performance was also the night a young Dylan Moran did his first ever stand-up routine. Moran went on win the prestigious Perrier prize in Edinburgh.
Tomorrow’s anniversary show begins at 9pm; admission is €10.
