Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In Ireland for shows at the Civic Festival in Derry, Billy Connolly takes a break in Buncranna.
The popularity of the Derry Civic Festival and the City's appetite for entertainment helped to get the old Rialto cinema reopened. One of the festival’s headline acts, Billy Connolly will perform there. Taking a short break in Buncrana, County Donegal, the Glasgow comedian spoke to RTÉ News.
Billy Connolly says the situation in Northern Ireland is often a topic of conversation in the Glasgow pubs and clubs. He feels there has been a move from talk along sectarian lines to a sense of sadness, as few people can see any solution. He talks about the once strong connection between Glasgow and Donegal, observing that far fewer Glaswegians now make the trip to Buncranna. He believes the humour of Glasgow and Ulster shares a common trait, the ability to be able to laugh at ourselves.
It's this ability to have a laugh at yourself.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 8 June 1976.
In Ireland for shows at the Civic Festival in Derry, Billy Connolly takes a break in Buncranna.
The popularity of the Derry Civic Festival and the City's appetite for entertainment helped to get the old Rialto cinema reopened. One of the festival’s headline acts, Billy Connolly will perform there. Taking a short break in Buncrana, County Donegal, the Glasgow comedian spoke to RTÉ News.
Billy Connolly says the situation in Northern Ireland is often a topic of conversation in the Glasgow pubs and clubs. He feels there has been a move from talk along sectarian lines to a sense of sadness, as few people can see any solution. He talks about the once strong connection between Glasgow and Donegal, observing that far fewer Glaswegians now make the trip to Buncranna. He believes the humour of Glasgow and Ulster shares a common trait, the ability to be able to laugh at ourselves.
It's this ability to have a laugh at yourself.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 8 June 1976.
