Sketch comedy is a comedy performed in groups. Plays are usually one to ten minutes long. The content of sketch comedy varies, depending on the writers and performers. Politics, from the latest to the quirky; Everything can be the subject of sketch comedy.
The economic recession in 2008-09 negatively impacted the world. That’s why it was difficult to get a job in Ireland then. Three Irish youths, Sean Finnegan, Conor McKenna, and Sean Flanagan, graduated from University College Dublin. Then the three friends, instead of chasing jobs, put their talents to work and gave birth to Ireland’s only sketch comedy group, “Foil Arms and Hog.”
“Foil Arms and Hog” primarily performs sketch comedy on radio, TV, stage, and online. The group initially worked on some TV shows in Ireland. Now they feel more comfortable presenting sketch comedy on stage and online. “Foil Arms and Hog” releases new comedy videos every Thursday on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Through this, they have developed a global fan following. Numerous viral videos have achieved over a million views. So far, they have uploaded 430 videos on YouTube, which have been viewed more than 18 million times. The group regularly performs live shows in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Finland, Australia, USA, Canada, etc. Some awards are also held as recognition.
“Foil Arms and Hog” online sketch comedy videos are full of variety. Sometimes they bring something serious from the real world to the video, and sometimes something weird, crazy, and funny. Some of the notable series of online sketch comedy videos are Immigration, Countries of the World, House Party, Ann Flanagan and Ocean, McCormack Family, etc.
The immigration series features an immigration officer interviewing two immigrants before allowing them to enter the country, a question and answer that tastes like a great mix of humor, poignancy and brutal reality. Joking at stereotypes of countries is a major feature of the immigration series. The Countries of the World series expertly covers politics, history, and current affairs.
From sketch writing, set designing, acting, directing, editing, songwriting, composing, and singing, the three members of the team handle all the related work. If you want to watch the videos, you can visit their YouTube channel.
“Foil Arms and Hog” has a presence on all mainstream social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. There’s also a Patreon channel for die-hard fans, where for a monthly fee of their choice, fans get access to all live shows, exclusive photos, tour vlogs, behind-the-scenes sketches, fun live streams, and more.
The “Foil Arms and Hog” journey that started in 2008 is still going strong 14 years later, with the team now more mature, constantly learning and experimenting. What stands out most when looking at their work is how much they enjoy what they do. As Ireland’s only sketch comedy group, they have faced many obstacles and struggles along the way, but have overcome them all through talent, hard work, and friendship.