Part-time comedian and 'Ireland's Most Embarrassing Dad' on what Tipperary means to him

Declan Dunphy is a well-known and popular Clonmel postman/part-time comedian, who has given  generously of his time to many charities over the years.

Over twenty years  a postman with An Post, Declan is known far and wide for a laugh, a tonic to meet and greet, but also one who is known to roll up his sleeves and get stuck into a good deserving cause with fundraising.

 A Clonmel man through and through, Declan is married to local girl Fiona (Burke) and they have two grown-up daughters, Aoife and Leanne. Outside of his work Declan loves film making and has now produced numerous comedy clips.  

Twelve years ago Declan entered the “Moynihans Got Talent” competition which was a fundraiser for the local Society of St Vincent de Paul, and surprised himself when  his hilarious impersonation of Pat Shortt came out tops. And he hasn’t stopped tormenting us all since then!

Declan first went viral with a video clip a few  years ago when a work colleague and friend, Sinead Gavin, filmed him doing a Michael Jackson impression. And, of course, Declan ended up as  “Ireland’s Most Embarrassing Dad” four years ago when his  two girls entered him for a show on TV3 and he won it by the proverbial mile!

And what you didn’t know about your favourite postman - Declan is a former All-Ireland Karate champion and a 2nd Dan Black Belt. Dat’s rite! 

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What's your idea of a perfect day, or perfect weekend  in Tipperary?

I love when all of us are together as a family, my wife Fiona and our two girls Aoife and Leanne. Both the lads now have their own partners and have left home. Leanne is married to Darren, while Aoife is engaged to Willie, two great guys. (Yeah!) When we all get together it is great craic altogether.

So a perfect day for me or a perfect weekend, in Tipperary or anywhere else, is being amongst family. Fiona and I are 36 years together this year - and everyone says “that poor woman  is an absolute saint!”

 I often wonder why they all say that???

Who has made the greatest contribution to Tipperary in your lifetime - and why?

There are so many  people - even in my home town of Clonmel alone - that I could mention who have made immense contributions to County Tipperary. We are blessed in Clonmel to have so many greats of our own, never  mind  all of the county.

To me, I suppose, our local man, Frank Patterson, is right up there at the top of the list. He was an ordinary Clonmel lad who went on to do extraordinary things. He was born in Clonmel, educated locally, had a passion for singing, joined the local Choral Society and went on to become probably one of the best tenors the world has ever heard. Frank Patterson even conquered America which is no mean achievement, not many do.

I feel a sense of pride passing his impressive statue on my way to and from Clonmel Post Office every day. Clonmel people remember him fondly and deservedly so.

Yes, Frank Patterson, would be the one I consider to have made the greatest contribution to County Tipperary. 

What's your first Tipperary memory?

Oh I have loads of happy memories from childhood, too many to mention.

I fondly remember just being with my Dad, the late Sean Dunphy (Clerk in Ss Peter & Paul’s Church), when I was a young boy and the happiness that gave me.

We would head off to the seaside in Clonea in the summer in a packed car (no social distancing) with maybe five or six of us in the back.

I remember too, on the odd occasion, when Dad would go for a pint in maybe Eldon’s or Phil Carroll’s (Gus Nugent’s to us old Clonmel folk). I would sit with him and wait till he got to the end of the pint and I would take a sip of the white stuff as we would say. Harmless fun between a father and  son.

I also remember going to primary school sitting on the handlebars of Dad’s bike or on  that little seat on the middle bar. That felt so cool then, even if I didn’t know then what being cool  meant!

All innocent  memories from a magical  time that  was a very happy childhood.

What's your favourite part of the county - and why?

For me, that’s easy. Slievenamon.

As a family we climb it once a year at least. Just going up to the top and looking down  and out over our beautiful valley with so much life going on in that space below while at the same time appreciating the isolation of being on the summit of  Tipperary’s most iconic mountain.

Sitting back and scanning below the towns, villages, factories,  farms, mountains, wildlife. Watching the traffic, trucks, vans and cars going by on their business and wondering where they might all be heading or what they are all up to.

Marvelling at the Comeragh Mountains in the distance as we sit and stare. 

Simply enjoying that space, that moment, that peace and solitude, away from the hustle and bustle down below.  Perfect!

Declan Dunphy playing one of three parts in a recent short video clip he produced with Kevin Burke.

What do you think gives Tipperary its unique identity?

Being a Tipperary man or Tipperary woman, we are known the world over for the warm welcome we give to others. Friends, tourists, strangers, foreigners alike, they are all made feel welcome just like being at home.

I think that is one of the reason why everyone loves Tipperary (except Kilkenny of course!).

But I also think there is a great character among Tipperary people of looking out for one another, neighbours, elderly, poor, sick. And I always feel that we should try and help each other out in life as best we can, especially those less fortunate.

Recently I made a new comedy video where I play all  three parts. It is a bit of light-hearted fun.

I have dedicated it as a fundraiser to a young Clonmel teenager, Ashleigh Prout, who needs some serious surgery in London over the coming months. Ashleigh has a Go Fund Me campaign ongoing and those who view my video clip are invited to contribute something to help raise the €100,000 that Ashleigh needs.

If you haven’t seen the video already you can view it on my Facebook page or on the TipperaryLive.ie website.

Every little helps.

Do you have a favourite local writer or author?

Now lads I read a few envelopes everyday, does that count?

Seriously though, I am not really a guy for books. Magazines and short stories were always my thing.

So for this I have one great chap in mind who stands out for me, John Ryan. His Christmas book, ‘Clonmel Miscellaneous’ is still my favourite read every year.

What’s the biggest challenge facing the county today?

That’s an easy one.

 In Tipperary, as it is all over the world, we are all trying to come to terms with the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a world challenge of enormous proportions  for everyone, from the greatest to the most ordinary, to try and get our lives back to some sense of normality, our businesses, our jobs, our schools.

As bleak as it looks at times I feel we are slowly getting there and if we all act responsibly towards each other it will speed up the day when we finally over it.

If you had the power to change one thing in, or about Tipperary, what would it be?

I would like to see Cashel Hospital open again, maybe as a Mental Health Centre for all of County Tipperary. It used to be a great surgical hospital when we were children and it’s terrible to see it closed.

Mental health is a huge growing problem everywhere for young and old and the facilities that are needed are not up to the levels that are required to provide the treatment necessary when it is actually needed.

 If I could change one thing I would love to see more treatment centres open to help those most in need of Mental Health care.