Thomas Lyons 
Tommy Tiernan, one of Ireland’s most beloved entertainers, experienced a significant surge in pay last year. As per the new accounts of Tiernan’s entertainment firm, Mabinog Ltd, aggregate pay for the comedian and his co-director wife, Yvonne Tiernan, skyrocketed from €54,740 to €1.18m. The increase in pay coincided with the success of the primetime show, The Tommy Tiernan Show on RTÉ, and the popularity of the Tommy, Hector, and Laurita podcast with Hector Ó hEochagáin and Laurita Blewitt.
The Tommy Tiernan Show, known for its unrehearsed format, completed a 12-week run in March, featuring notable guests like Roy Keane, Dara O Briain, and actor Denise Gough. On the other hand, the Tommy, Hector, and Laurita podcast has generated over 20 million listens in the first two and a half years of its run. Although the podcast is currently on a break for the summer months, it has been a massive success for all three of its hosts.
Separate accounts lodged by Blewitt’s podcast firm, Lightning Seeds (Irl) Ltd, showed profits of €190,775 last year. Hector O’hEeochagain’s media firm, Low Profile Ltd, also enjoyed profits of €172,181 in 2022. Tiernan’s podcast partners are also benefiting from the venture.
The new accounts of Mabinog Ltd reveal that the cash funds at the company almost tripled from €635,927 to €1.64 million last year. However, the directors’ payout to the Tiernans resulted in profits for the year more than halving from €123,812 to €56,503. At the end of December 2021, the company had an accumulated loss of €39,430.
The business employed five people, including two directors and three staff. Tiernan is currently adding to the firm’s coffers with a series of ‘Tomfoolery’ tour dates, including ‘Live at the Marquee’ shows in Cork in June.
A note attached to the accounts addressed Mabinog’s going concern status, stating that “after reviewing the company’s results and projections as well as considering the impact of the current economic situation, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.”
Connected firm, Mabinog Publishing Ltd, also recorded post-tax profits of €124,747 last year, following profits of €105,567 in 2021. At the end of December 2021, the company had accumulated profits of €778,202.
In conclusion, Tommy Tiernan’s entertainment firm Mabinog Ltd experienced a significant surge in pay last year, thanks to the success of the Tommy Tiernan Show and the Tommy, Hector, and Laurita podcast. Although the directors’ payout resulted in profits for the year more than halving, the company’s cash funds almost tripled. With the series of ‘Tomfoolery’ tour dates and the success of Mabinog Publishing Ltd, the company’s going concern status seems secure for the foreseeable future.
