Cork to finally get what it deserves

“If had to give you one bit of advice, it would be to invent a character, because that way then you can say what you like.”

The wise words of writer and TV and radio regular Pat Fitzpatrick who has created something of a posh monster over the last two years. That monster is Reggie, Cork’s most beautifully spoken man.

Reggie, who is the lifetime president of the Captains of Cork Industry (COKI), lives in his €5.2 million mansion on the Blackrock Road where he focuses on setting standards for the people of Cork while paying zero taxes and cheating on his wife.

Reggie now boasts (in the truest sense of the word) over 27k followers on Twitter, close of 10k on Instagram, and 14.5k on Facebook.

Creator Pat has been busy since last summer writing ‘An Evening with Reggie’, both his and his creation’s debut live production. The show will run for two weeks at the Everyman starting today!

“For me, I thought it was just a matter of knowing the lines but Director Pat Kiernan told me, ‘Look, it's not the lines, it's the intent'. It feels to me a bit like the Leaving Cert in that it seems far off and you're working towards it and then it just comes along,” says Pat.

The Everyman isn’t a bad spot to put on your first ever live show and Pat says the size of the venue is perfect of Reggie’s unique brand of humour.

“It's weird because if you're in the Everyman, it feels big. I was at a panto there about two years ago and it feels so big, but when you're on the stage, everyone is in your eyeline.

“It does feel really intimate when you're up there so it kind of suits Reggie because Reggie's style is conversational so I don't have to boom it out to the back of the hall, or at least it doesn't feel like I have to.”

Reggie rose to fame during the pandemic when Pat unleashed the character on an unsuspecting Cork via a series of popular videos. Pat says the character was born of a few different people including a roguish, rugby-mad uncle.

Pat explains: “I had an uncle Joe who played rugby for Highfield, he wasn't rich or anything, he was okay like but he wasn't rich, but he just loved Cork and he loved life and he was a bit of a rogue. He had this big booming accent which I can't do for long because my voice will go. He was the start of it, that kind of attitude, you know the type.”

Once set loose on social media, Reggie was an instant hit, something Pat puts down to the unique and complex nature of Cork humour.

“I think Cork humour is all about the little side comment. ‘John's doing very well, but you know he's back on the drink’. It's like the first thing is what you feel you should say and the second thing is what you really mean,” he says.

Just then, as the interview is finding its rhythm, the phone is snatched out of Pat’s hand and a very different voice comes down the line. It’s Reggie of course, and he’s as eager as ever to share his opinions on the different parishes of Cork.

One of his plans is to basically redraw the boundaries of the city in order to separate places like Bishopstown and Togher from his beloved southside.

“I'm fascinated by geology and the way the earth's surface can move around and I have plans on that front shall we say, very interesting plans about using the river for various defence mechanisms. We're hoping to get planning permission for it fairly shortly. I'd be very well connected on a brown envelope front to the people at the top of the tree in City Hall. So yeah, huge plans for Cork,” explains Reggie.

Since rising to prominence, Reggie has been especially vocal on his opinions of everything and everyone north of the River Lee, something that may be a bit of an issue considering the location of the Everyman.

“I've built a chute coming down from the roof. We couldn't get planning permission for the tunnel. We built a chute straight into the stage, so the chopper just drops me into the chute, I do my show, three or four standing ovations, and then back up the chute, into the chopper and home. So, there's no real northside contact there. Obviously I've had my inoculations and I have special spray to keep away the Norrie flu, so I think I'll be okay,” says Pat.

Tickets for the show cost €30 each, which might sound a little steep to some considering it’s a debut performance.

“I beg your pardon, €30 might feel steep to you. I've a sock that cost €30. Trust me, I'm all about value for money. I don't know if you've ever seen TED Talks, you probably call them EDDIE Talks. I'll be giving people really valuable tips and insights into my life that they can hopefully use to improve themselves. You're going to be leaving with really applicable lifehacks that, well, obviously you can't improve yourself too much if you're from Bishopstown or somewhere like that, but you might be able to give yourself a little lift – Model Farm Road or something.”

‘An Evening with Reggie’ runs from 31 March to 16 April with booking available at everymancork.com.

Before heading off for a few pints with the lads in Kinsale, Reggie has one last message for the people of Cork.

“I’m looking forward to seeing everybody. Make sure to buy something in the merchandise stall. It's all for a good cause – me.”