What's with their names?
This is the most asked question in their interviews, with the exception of how they met and got started. Their names grew out of their performance styles and “nicknames they had for each other” (Culch.ie 2011). Foil (Seán Finegan) is the comedic foil to the other two, “the straight man in the sketch,” Arms (Conor McKenna) is interested in physical comedy, and he has described himself as “all arms and legs,” and Hog (Seán Flanagan) likes to ‘hog’ the limelight, or as he says a lot of the time: “it’s the Hog show!”
Other nicknames that they call one another: Seán Finegan is called “Fingo” and Seán Flanagan is called “Flango”. It seems that Hog calls Conor McKenna, Armsy and McKenna.
Comedy Influences
FAH have been pretty consistent over the years in interviews about their comedy influences. Father Ted “was and remains one of the group’s key influences” and Arms observed in a 2017 interview for the University Times that “it’s probably the biggest one that we have in common.” The Marx Brothers come up a lot as a group that Foil and Arms both like as well. Comedians like Jim Carrey, Bill Cosby, Seinfeld, Lee Evans, Monty Python, Billy Connolly, and the comedians from Flight of the Concords and the Naked Gun movies also make the cut.
Motto
Funny first, think later. However, in a 2018 interview with RTE Culture, Foil pointed out that their new motto could possibly be: "Fairly Funny and Give it Some Afterthought". This was in response to the question: Have you had to “think first” since becoming more famous?
Doomdah: What is it?
This is a signature part of the end of their video sketches that they post on YouTube. They did not always do the “doomdah”, however; it seems to have been begun to be added to their videos around January of 2016. In a 2017 interview with Gillian Mooney for Kilkenny People, Foil explained that the Doomdah is “a childhood song, that we just edited over time at the ending of each video.”
Festivals, TV, Radio, Podcasts
FAH has extensive experience doing festivals, writing and being on television shows, radio, and podcasts. Here is a list of just a few of the events where they have performed. This is definitely not all inclusive.
Dublin Fringe; Kilkenny Cat Laughs; Adelaide Fringe Festival; Vodofone Comedy Festival; Westport Festival; Edinburgh Fringe Festival & Edinburgh Comedy Festival; Brighton Fringe; Electric Picnic; Forbidden Fruit; RTE’s Under the Influence & Savage Eye; Jason Byrne’s Snaptastic Show; Funny or Die; BBC R 4’s Sketchorama; 98FM Podcast; The Strawberry Alarm Clock; RTE Radio 1: Foil Arms and Hog The Radio Show.