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may mulgrew

Ireland’s Own: Humour Special edition features our Jimmy 150 150 mhamer

Ireland’s Own: Humour Special edition features our Jimmy

my thanks to journalist Henry Wymbs, for my fun interview for @irelandsown1902 (Ireland's Own) ‘The Humour Special 2024’ edition.

An interview with Jimmy Cricket about his illustrious career is featured in a special edition of Ireland’s Own magazine.

The famous Northern Irish comedian talks about his life and work in the 2024 Humour Special edition of the publication.

Among the highlights, Jimmy reflects on his upbringing, including his dad running an undertaker’s and a pub in his birthplace of Cookstown, County Tyrone.

The family later moved to Belfast, which Jimmy said ended up being a good move for him.

“Dad would take us to the top theatres in town, like the Empire, to see the likes of Norman Wisdom, Billy Dainty and Harry Worth,” says Jimmy.

“Wonderful showmen, whom I had the pleasure of working with so many times.”

Door-to-door salesman

He went on to become good friends with Norman Wisdom, who died in 2010.

Jimmy also recalls in the article that he was living and working in Manchester by the early 1970s.

He worked long days as a door-to-door salesman – “I wasn’t very successful… as everyone I knew had a door!”.

At the same time, he was steadily building a reputation as a comedian.

He met his future wife, May – a professional singer – at a Pontins holiday camp in Morecambe.

my thanks to journalist Henry Wymbs, for my fun interview for @irelandsown1902 (Ireland's Own) ‘The Humour Special 2024’ edition.

“When I bumped into May, she was wearing a Halloween mask – it was love at first fright!”

After the article was published, Jimmy posted on social media: “My thanks to journalist Henry Wymbs, for my fun interview for @irelandsown1902 (Ireland’s Own) – The Humour Special 2024 edition.”

Ireland’s Own describes itself as “Ireland’s best-selling and longest-running family magazine”.

It is a full colour, weekly magazine “devoted to all that is best about Ireland and being Irish”.

The magazine is published in Wexford, first appearing in 1902.

Also read: ‘The ultimate feel-good book’ – Jimmy’s autobiography

 

A special Easter message from Jimmy and May 150 150 mhamer

A special Easter message from Jimmy and May

Here is a special Easter message from your favourite comedian Jimmy Cricket and his wife, May (posted on X – formerly Twitter):

“Happy Easter…

… may the blessing of this Easter fill your life with everlasting PEACE, JOY AND HAPPINESS!”

Click on the arrow in the middle of the image below to see some animation.

If you don’t already, you can follow Jimmy on the X social media platform here.

Have you bought Jimmy’s autobiography yet?

Don’t forget that Jimmy’s official autobiography is on sale.

Jimmy Cricket with his autobiography

Memoirs Of An Irish Comedian tells the heart-warming story of Jimmy’s illustrious life and 50-year career.

The paperback version costs £11.99 at online retailer Amazon. It is also available via eBook and audio.

Signed copies (£15.99 including postage and packing) can be purchased on this website here.

It is also available at Jimmy’s live gigs for £10, where Jimmy will also sign it.

One pound from the sale of every book goes to Mary’s Meals.

The charity supports feeding projects in some of the world’s poorest communities.

Also read: Jimmy Cricket’s signed autobiographies now available by post!

The day I ended up in court facing a hefty fine… 150 150 mhamer

The day I ended up in court facing a hefty fine…

True story! Going back decades here is this months @leponline column, here I'm sharing my humble beginnings in the world of showbusiness, which doesn't get much funnier than this! 

Jimmy Cricket was once summoned to court for not doing something he didn’t even know he had to do!

In the 1970s, before he was famous, the Northern Irishman fell foul of the TV licensing authorities.

He revealed his story in his Lancashire Post column.

Jimmy posted on social media: “Hi folks! True story!

“Going back decades here is this month’s @leponline column.

“Here I’m sharing my humble beginnings in the world of showbusiness, which doesn’t get much funnier than this! #savevariety”

His column said: “I’m going back a bit now – 1973. I was in my mid-20s and trying to eke out a living as a comedian in the Northern clubs.

“My girlfriend and soon-to-be-my-wife May and her sister Margaret did a sing­ing act under the name, The Tweedie Sisters.

“We both landed a week’s booking at the Norbreck Ho­tel in Blackpool. However, it didn’t quite turn out that way.

“Oh, the girls had a great week finishing their act to tumultuous applause every evening.

“I, however, didn’t make it past the Sunday. To be honest I was a bit rough round the edges, and when I didn’t get too many laughs on the opening night, the hotel manager fired me.

Disbelieving glance

“So while the girls trav­elled back and forth to Black­pool every night, (Margaret’s boyfriend Graham had a car), I sat alone in the flat we all shared in Stockport trying to figure out a new act.

“It was on the Tuesday night that the doorbell rang. I’d barely opened the door when a guy pushed past me.

“I followed behind him in hot pursuit calling out, ‘Hi, what is this?’ until he stopped with a jolt in the middle of the living room and, pointing to the corner, shout­ed: ‘Have you got a licence for that television?’

“I explained that my fian­cee had ordered it from a lo­cal shop a few weeks before.

“Then I naively enquired: ‘Doesn’t the rental cover the cost of the licence?’ He threw me a disbelieving glance, wrote something in his book and marched straight out the door.

“A summons duly arrived a few weeks later for me to appear in court, where I paid a hefty fine, not for some­thing I did but for something I didn’t know I had to do.

“Don’t get me wrong folks. I’m a big fan of the BBC. What’s not to like about it?

“They do the best period cos­tume dramas. They give us uninterrupted coverage of top sporting events and the best movies, and their news coverage is the envy of the world.

“Just like the National Health Service it’s a quintessential British institution and I couldn’t imagine life without it.

“I just hope they have nicer people driving their detector vans these days than the guy I got in Stockport.”

Also read: The first time I met Bobby Ball

The Lancashire Post website

Happy 65th birthday to Mrs C! 150 150 mhamer

Happy 65th birthday to Mrs C!

Mrs C, aka May Mulgrew, has celebrated her 65th birthday!

Mrs Cricket – aka May Mulgrew – turned 65 on Saturday.

May is a singer in her own right and performs at many of Jimmy’s shows.

Her stage name is May Marion.

Jimmy tweeted: “A big shout out to my good lady May who is 65 today. As the song goes -“You’re the wind beneath my wings.”

He also posted: “A big thank you to everyone who has wished Mrs C. “Happy Birthday”, here is us celebrating last Wednesday before Lockdown!”  Bottle with popping cork  Clinking glasses

The latest national lockdown in England began on Thursday and is due to last until 2 December.

Also read: Jimmy’s friend Patti Gold celebrates 60th birthday

You Must Be Joking tour: Watch the finale song 150 150 mhamer

You Must Be Joking tour: Watch the finale song

Jimmy Cricket has posted on social media a video of the finale song at the end of the popular You Must Be Joking tour 2018.

The three-week series of shows featuring Jimmy and three fellow Northern Ireland comedians ended at the Island Arts Centre on Lagan Valley Island in Lisburn.

Other team members were: John Linehan (aka May McFettridge), Gene Fitzpatrick and William Caulfield.

Afer the final night, Jimmy,  72, tweeted: Been a blast the, “You Must Be Joking Tour”, for and here alongside, singing for the last time our finale song, my partners in crime, John Linehan and and ?

The eight-show tour had opened on 20 January at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, Jimmy’s birth place though he has lived in Rochdale for many years with his wife May Mulgrew.

You can see the clip of the You Must Be Joking team singing their finale song on Jimmy’s Twitter feed here.

Lisburn hosts last night of You Must Be Joking 2018 150 150 mhamer

Lisburn hosts last night of You Must Be Joking 2018

The You Must Be Joking tour 2018 involving Jimmy Cricket and three fellow Northern Ireland comedians has finished after eight shows in just three weeks.

It ended on Saturday night at the Island Arts Centre on Lagan Valley Island in Lisburn.

Jimmy, 72, performed along with John Linehan (aka May McFettridge), Gene Fitzpatrick and William Caulfield.

The tour had opened on 20 January at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, Jimmy’s birth place though he has lived in Rochdale for many years with his wife May Mulgrew.

William Caulfield posted a picture (above) of the whole You Must Be Joking team on Twitter.

 

Helping Rochdale priest celebrate diamond jubilee 150 150 mhamer

Helping Rochdale priest celebrate diamond jubilee

Jimmy Cricket, Fr David O'Kane and friendsJimmy Cricket was honoured to be the guest entertainer at a celebratory dinner organised to mark one of his local clergy celebrating 60 years of being a Catholic priest.

On what was a great evening at the Sacred Heart Parish Hall in Rochdale, Fr David O’Kane hosted a dinner to celebrate his diamond Jubilee milestone.

Fr David O'Kane is the parish priest at Sacred Heart in Rochdale

Fr O’Kane has been based at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church for over a couple of decades. During this time he has hosted some charity dinners and concerts which have featured famous comedian Jimmy.

Sacred Heart was in fact one of Jimmy’s former parishes when he first moved into his adopted home town of Rochdale.

This diamond jubilee event was a wonderful occasion with the hall full of parishioners and friends of Fr O’Kane (pictured above).

The second part of Fr O’Kane’s celebration will be a special diamond jubilee Mass to be held at Sacred Heart RC Church on Friday 16 June.

Jimmy and his wife, May, have also been invited to attend this service and, as he has no work commitments on this date,  he is delighted he can attend this occasion as well!

Sacred Heart in Rochdale

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