Local laughter goes viral as Sean Hegarty puts Tyrone towns on the map

A BURST of humour from Augher, Clogher and Fivemiletown has taken social media - and County Tyrone - by storm, thanks to comedian Sean Hegarty and his now-viral parody video that has people laughing, singing along and sharing with pride.

The short, catchy clip, set to a parody of the famously infectious Pen Pineapple Apple Pen, has struck a chord far beyond its local roots. With its simple refrain - “Augher, Clogher, Fivemiletown” - the video has become something of an unofficial anthem for the three neighbouring towns, earning Sean widespread praise for celebrating local places with warmth, wit and a healthy dose of silliness.

Sean, a Northern Irish one-liner comic known for his razor-sharp wit and dry delivery, is no stranger to attention, but the scale of the reaction has been a pleasant surprise. “People stop me on the street to talk about it,” he says. “They ask me at gigs to sing it - which I haven’t done yet! But it’s all good. I love meeting people who enjoy my work.”

While the video may look like a whirlwind tour of Tyrone, Sean laughs as he admits it was created on a green screen. “With five kids and so much work on, it’d be hard to find the time to go to all three towns - and also to find someone to hold the camera,” he jokes.

Behind the viral hit is a comedian with nearly two decades of experience. Sean first stepped onto a stage 18 years ago at a late-night open-mic gig during the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. What started as a nerve-wracking five minutes quickly turned into a calling. Since then, he has appeared on BBC Northern Ireland’s Find Me The Funny, supported Patrick Kielty on tour, written jokes for BBC radio and television, and competed - and won - in comedy competitions across the UK. He has also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe with his one-man show One-Liner Action and was runner-up in the UK Pun Championships.

Off stage, Sean is a 42-year-old dad of five, a self-confessed retro collector, sports enthusiast and family man who proudly says he probably spends more time with his kids than anyone he knows. He is married to comedian and actress Diona Doherty, and together they run Cheesy Grin Productions, responsible for shows that have sold out the Grand Opera House, the Waterfront Hall and theatres across the country.

The inspiration for the Augher, Clogher, Fivemiletown video came from Sean’s long history of online content creation. “Some videos go viral, some disappear into oblivion - that’s just the industry,” he explains. “I could spend weeks on a comedy set that 100 people see, or 10 seconds on a video that millions watch. It’s unpredictable, but exciting, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

As for why those towns? “They just fit the song perfectly,” he says. “They go hand in hand. Usually if one’s mentioned, the others are too – now they all have an anthem.”

Though born in Donegal and raised in Armagh, with strong ties to Lurgan and Aghagallon, Sean’s affection for Tyrone is clear. And in a time when headlines are often filled with gloom, he believes comedy matters more than ever. “Comedy is a distraction, a release,” he says. “Laughter helps people cope with tough times. We need to protect and nurture it.”

With a viral hit under his belt, continued success on stage and ambitions to move further into writing - including a dream of penning a Christmas movie - Sean Hegarty shows no signs of slowing down. For now, though, he’s happy knowing that three Tyrone towns have been brought together by a laugh, a song and a shared sense of fun.