The musical is described as and I quote packed full of craic,
belly laughs, culchies, dubs and lots of shifting. Oh yeah.
Shifting yes. Now normally at this point interview we would
ask the actors how they prepared for their role. Mhm.
So for you Johnny when this show started a while ago for
research purposes were you just flat out shifting cultures in
Copper Face Jacks? That's why you retired. Listen don't you
know it by it. Only for research. They were there as
well. And yet Coppers is quite a flirty place. How many have
you been there? I was there just before lockdown. Right.
And I had two separate it's quite funny. Yeah. Like I mean
I think I'm obviously not into women in that way and there was
two separate girls who tried to cop off with me and I had to
explain to them. No I'm I'm gay. This is where Fiona comes
into it isn't it? Fiona and I first met. So Fiona. Have you
have you been? I've been like about oh must have been oh 15
years ago. Liar. Liar. We seen you there last week Yoda. Stop
it. No I just remember it being just so packed full of people
and I I wasn't really sure like whether people were like trying
to flirt with me or just trying to get past me or you know
hands on it like yeah. It's also super busy. Very busy.
Have you had Johnny any odd encounters, memorable
experiences? Nothing I can really say on the TV if I'm
honest with you Brian. And one thing you know going back about
Coppers. I think that's the thing about it. It's the it's
it's you know they don't discriminate. No I agree. And
so many people are coming over from the or you know from the
the country. Yeah. To see their county play in the you know Pro
Park whatever there is a place not so long ago you could go
into a night club you have to wear shoes trousers that was
it. Yeah. You know you can go into Coppers Jacks with your
Paul Howard's writing says it where quilties go to flirt in
intercounty shirts. Yeah. And I think it sums it up all
altogether you know and it's not the place you ever start up
the night. It's always the place where you end up which I
think's the best part of the night ever. Absolutely. And
look Fiona can I just say I'm a massive fan of Misses Brown's
Boys and you've been there right from the beginning since
the show began in two thousand and 11. What do you think is
the ingredient ehm as I smell the food being cooked over
there. Yeah. But but what is it about it like that the fans
just keep wanting more and more and it just never gets old. I
think it's kind of old style comedy. Eh it's funny. It does
exactly what it says in the tin. Yeah it is. Eh it doesn't
claim or try to be anything that it isn't. Yeah. And ehm I
think it's just what everybody needs especially at the moment
after the pandemic and everything. We all need a bit
of comedy. Yeah. Which is why Coppers Jacks is actually
coming in at such a good time. Yeah. You know it's a tonic. It
really is. I mean the amount of people that we have come to the
show who will say to us that ehm you know they might have
suffered a loss in the family, suffering depression, they
might you know you know just having go through a hard time
and it's an opportunity for people to a Peter in general is
an opportunity for people to disappear for a couple of years
a little bit of escapism a little bit of a tonic you know
you get to go in you get to laugh and release those
endorphins and you know it's medicinal I think it really
everything is good for the soul are you like the mammy and
daddy of the the cast well I'm you're the mummy on the mammy
of the cast right? I'm the oldest of the cast. Very young.
I am the oldest of the cast, yes. And yes, they do call me
mommy. At least I don't call you a nanny. Really insulting.
No, I've got four boys so it just comes natural to me. I'm a
bit of a carer so anytime anything goes wrong with the
cast or anyway, I'm straight in. Right, what do you need?
Yeah. And I have my they call it the Mary Poppins bag. Oh.
It's like an issue bag and I've like everything in there. Yeah.
So, yeah. And Johnny, of course, before we finish the
interview, congrats on you. You're newly engaged. That's a
round of applause. This is so much. Congrats. Have you set a
date can we ask? Yeah 8th of July eh next year. We ehm I got
down on Monday on Christmas day. We didn't like release
anything like that. Ah there she is. Looks a bit
off the telly now. Yeah. No Brendan Murphy have to say like
love of my life. Cannot wait until the the 8th of July and
eh it was something that you know never mind about the show
that we're about to do in an hour. Oh. But like this was the
most nerve-wracking thing I've ever had to do. In front of my
mother and her whole family on Christmas day. And then eh we
didn't want to I suppose announced it or anything like
that. Just until everything was bumped and set in stone. You
know yourself so. Yeah. Congratulations and we want to
go to the show by the way. Yeah you've got to go get ready
because tonight. Yeah in about an hour and 40 minutes. No.
Thank you so much.