A blue plaque commemorating Belfast comedian Frank Carson has been unveiled at his former school, St Patrick’s National School on Donegall Street, on what would have been his 100th birthday.
Carson’s family and fellow comedians attended a service to mark the unveiling of the Ulster History Circle plaque. Carson, known for his catchphrases “It’s the way I tell them” and “It’s a cracker”, appeared on television shows including Opportunity Knocks and Tiswas.
He died in 2012 at the age of 85 at his home in Blackpool, Lancashire, following an illness.
Family and friends pay tribute
Carson’s son Tony described the plaque as a “wonderful tribute” to his father. “There’s so many memories about my dad,” he said. “People keep reminding me and sending me stuff from YouTube, and I mean, he just seems to be still around as much, and maybe even more than he actually was when he was around.”
Dan Gordon, who wrote and starred in a one-man play about Carson, said the comedian had a “varied” and “extraordinary life”. He added: “He started in poverty and when he finished up, he was worth a few quid, in fact he said ‘when I wrote a cheque, the bank bounced’.
“He was on network television, 1976 did 41 network television shows, he did 240 variety shows and public appearances that year as well. He was a very well-known figure.
“He was using the Ulster accent on television at a time in the 70s, 80s, and 90s when our accent wasn’t particularly welcome because quite often it was to do with bad things. But Frank was that voice, a bit like a chainsaw, but he was there and he was keeping the flag flying.”
A comedian who never forgot his roots
The memorial is located at St Patrick’s National School on Donegall Street, where Carson grew up in the 1930s. Mr Gordon described Carson as a “Belfast man” who “never forgot his roots”.
He said: “Frank loved Belfast. He never tried to lose his accent. He never compensated for English audiences if they didn’t understand him, they didn’t understand him, he just did what he did.
“He made documentaries about here, he made one about Donegall Street here actually and when he walked down the street, he couldn’t go 10 yards before somebody stopped him and says, ‘I knew your Mammy’ or ‘I went to school with your brother’, or whatever. So it’s a wonderful tribute to the fact the Ulster History Circle are putting this plaque up today.”
Mr Gordon said Carson as a comedian “came from a generation when people told jokes”. He continued: “Frank tended not to focus on anybody except maybe himself, as being Irish or from Belfast, and he didn’t use foul language, which was quite surprising because it’s a very effective way just to get a cheap laugh.
“He wasn’t too hard on the mother-in-law and the wife – he did a few of those – but it was really about making people laugh, entertaining them, and he enjoyed doing that. He was never off, I mean, on an airplane, if you were unfortunate enough to sit beside him, he wouldn’t shut up.”
Mayor highlights Carson’s lasting impact
Mayor of Belfast Róis-Máire Donnelly said Carson “had the most incredible life” but has also “left his mark long after”. She added: “He would have been 100 today, and I was at an event a few weeks ago where his son was there, and we were chatting about the bursary that they had set up alongside the Integrated Education Fund to really invest in our young people and education that they receive, and it’s just incredible that even after he’s gone, he’s still leaving that mark on the city.”
