The Humour is On Me Now was a mid-60s Ulster Television series which visited a different area of Northern Ireland each week and highlighted the song and literature of the surroundings. It’s not to be confused with a comedy programme as the title is derived from the Irish song of the same name which means, in the context of the lyrics, “I’m in the mood,” or “I’m ready now.”
The complete programmes of this series, which mixed studio material shot on video and location work shot on film, are long gone, but for some of the editions the filmed segments still exist, as is the case for this trip to Armagh.
In these surviving fragments the series presenters, Denis Ireland and James Boyce talk in the streets of Armagh about the army barracks and the planetarium. Meanwhile, there are tales of smuggling from local folklorist Michael Joseph Murphy and poetry recited by the character of Barney McCool, played by the actor Tom McDevitt.