Ireland's financial woes are no laughing matter. But in the midst of the doom, gloom and emigration, two Irish comedians are touring the country in a totally new way, hoping to combat the recession with humour, optimism and positive action.

"Stand-Up Against the Banks" is the brainchild of Aidan Killian and Abie Philbin Bowman. Aidan is a former banker, with the once prestigious (now disgraced) Bear Stearns. In 2007, Aidan saw the writing on the wall, and decided to do something he believed in.

He left the job, still carrying a huge mortgage for a house in Florida he has never seen. With his understanding of how banks had cheated the system, Aidan turned the tables, and forced the bank to accept their liability for the property. This story forms a key part of his comedy set.

Abie Philbin Bowman has been writing and touring activist comedy since 2006, when he took the Edinburgh Fringe by storm with Jesus: The Guantanamo Years. Abie's one-man comedies have since toured from Hollywood, LA to Lahore, Pakistan (during a State of Emergency). He's had run-ins with the Ku Klux Klan, Al Qaeda & Ian Paisley's DUP.

Abie studied non-violent protest strategies, while completing a Master's in International Peace Studies. His final Thesis explored the effectiveness of comedy as a weapon of protest. It was called, How Many Comedians Does It Take to Change a Government? "Comedy is a great way to communicate a message," he explains. "It cuts through spin and it can spread like wildfire".

Both comedians are part of a generation caught between emigration and negative equity. Abie recalls that, while pursuing his comedy dream, he was unable to buy or rent a house, and remained living at home with his parents. He remembers turning on the radio the day the financial crisis broke.

"It was awful: people were in negative equity, losing their jobs, facing repossession... Then, at some point, I realised: 'I don't own a house. I'm not in negative equity. And I'm pretty sure nobody can outsource my job to China'. Somehow, I'd gone to bed, a textbook loser... and woken up, an economic genius".

Despite their lucky escapes, both comedians are still affected by the financial crisis. "For one thing," Abie says "most of our audience has emigrated." The two stand-ups performed at last year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival with shows tackling Ireland's financial crisis. They got a string of rave reviews.

"It's easy to feel powerless," explains Abie. "Every time you spend money, you're paying tax, which is used to bail out the banks and pay off the IMF... But nobody can tax barter, or generosity or trust."

So the two comics decided to put their trust in the Irish people, and devised a new way of touring, without supporting the bailout. "Stand-Up Against the Banks is free to the public," explains Aidan. "If you haven't got any spare cash, you're still welcome to enjoy the show."

They will pass a hat at the end of the night to accept tax-free donations. But these don't have to be in cash. The comics haven't booked any accommodation for the tour. "We're hoping that some punters will be able to offer us a meal or a spare bed to sleep in."

One of the rules is that they can only keep touring for as long as the donations pay for petrol, suppliers etc. "Goodwill and decency is more important than profits. That said, we'd better make sure our jokes are damn funny, or we might end up sleeping in the car, eating nettle soup."

At a time when popular revolutions are sweeping the Arab world, the Greek people have taken to the streets and Occupy Wall Street has become a worldwide phenomenon, the Irish have remained relatively silent. Why is there no Irish equivalent of Tahrir Square? Abie suggests: "We just don't have the weather for it."

"But seriously," interjects Aidan "there has been an Irish Occupy." Both comics have performed benefit gigs for the Occupy Movement in Cork, Dublin and elsewhere. Through his studies, Abie is became aware of writers like Gene Sharp and Saul Alinsky, whose ideas on effective non-violent tactics have been hugely influential in movements from the Tea Party to the Arab Spring.

"Those kids in Tunisia and Egypt really did their homework. Our job is to take those same ideas and strategies, and apply them to Ireland... and, of course, to make people laugh."

Stand-Up Against the Banks
with Aidan Killian and Abie Philbin Bowman

Anseo, Camden Street, Dublin 2
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Alice's Restaurant, Main Street, Naas
Thursday, February 9, 2012

Jacksons Hotel, Ballybofey, Donegal
Saturday, February 11, 2012