JOE Men of the Year Awards 2015: Funnyman of the Year

The men who tickled all of our funny bones in the last 12 months.

Humour is very much a matter of personal taste, but Ireland has always and continues to produce people with an uncanny ability to make the world laugh. Some of our most well-known comedians remained on top of their game in 2015 and others emerged to make everyone sit up and take notice… and then sit down again because their bellies hurt from laughing. The five nominees below certainly made us chuckle consistently in the last year or so; cast your vote for Funnyman of the Year at the bottom of the page. Vote on all JOE Men of the Year categories here.

Tommy Tiernan

Never afraid to push the boundaries with his comedy, Tommy hosted a live show on 2FM during the summer where he performed a series of interviews with guests whose identity he didn’t know until they walked out on stage. This followed on from a documentary last year that followed a tour of Europe which relied completely on improvised material. Risky? Certainly, but Tommy has never been afraid to take risks and it’s done him no harm either; it was recently revealed that he remains one of the best-paid entertainers in Ireland.

David O’Doherty

O’Doherty has long been one of Ireland’s funniest and most beloved comedians, but he has become a bona-fide international superstar in recent years. Regularly brilliant on 8 out of 10 Cats alongside Jimmy Carr and other established UK comics, O’Doherty also made an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s show earlier this year and absolutely nailed it.

Al Porter

The youngest comedian to ever headline Vicar Street at just 22 years of age, Porter is well on the road to becoming a major star and he’s in a hurry too. Steals the show anytime he’s on the radio or TV, he is so bubbling with personality and charisma that you could easily envisage him hosting his own chat show within the next few years.

The Viper

Regular appearances on the Hardy Bucks and Republic of Telly have kept his TV career ticking over, but the Viper is carving out his own niche with hilarious alternative commentaries on video games and the Adele music video which went viral in a big way not so long ago. UPDATE: We've removed Rubberbandits from the list at their request: https://twitter.com/Rubberbandits/status/669601464768163841 We probably had them in the wrong category alright. Fixed now.