It's a rare comic who can live on stand-up alone. Most have income-boosting sidelines. That's why profile-raising television shows are so important, writes Shane Hegarty

The comedian David O'Doherty tells a story about his brother, the actor and playwright Mark Doherty, buying a computer. Until a few years ago Doherty was a stand-up too, and like many others he supplemented his income by doing voice-overs. Knowing nothing about computers, he put the introductory CD into the machine. A helpful voice began to guide him through installation. It was his voice. He had recorded the voice-over a year before, and now a guy who knew nothing about computers was listening to himself telling him how to do it.

When you become a comedian it's not all belly laughs, certainly not when dealing with the bank manager. It is extremely rare that a comic can survive on stand-up alone. As well as being a comedian, for instance, O'Doherty (the O' is to provide him with a stage name) writes children's books and the odd animation.

It is an imprecise economy, but, from top to bottom, the business of comedy needs a serious side or nobody would make any money from it. O'Doherty's story is a reminder that comedians have to rely on ways of supplementing their incomes, just as the recent news that Murphy's will no longer sponsor the Cat Laughs comedy festival, in Kilkenny, is a reminder that big business is involved in what is often seen as a somewhat anti- establishment art.

Dublin remains unusual as a large city without a dedicated comedy venue, although when the site of the former Laughter Lounge is redeveloped it will include a venue. It was rumoured that the Comedy Store had a look at the Rock Garden, in Temple Bar, before it became Eamon Dorans, a few years ago, but we have yet to see the rise of the comedy chain, as in Britain.

There are now more venues around Ireland, however, so there is more scope for playing around the country in places other than rowdy pubs. And the Ryanair factor means many Irish comedians now perform in UK clubs as a matter of course, bringing 20-minute slots around the venues. They can hone their acts in front of tough audiences while making cash, even if it can be a difficult existence going from night to night.

O'Doherty says he is unusual, as he does not do the British circuit. Nor is he a fan of full-time clubs, especially chains such as the Comedy Store, saying that they can be "rubbish incubators" for comics and their routines, with corporate groups block-booking office nights out. He says, though, that they can be handy for financially strapped comedians.

Richard Cook, an agent with the Lisa Richards Agency and a founder of Murphy's Cat Laughs, believes a dedicated comedy venue can have its advantages. "I think that [ the Laughter Lounge] has been missed, although I hear that [ it] is coming back next year. In my experience, as comedians become more popular they like to play the theatres rather than the clubs and pubs - makes them feel more like artists, for a start, material is heard better, it's less rowdy. And one or two of them are playing around with their sets these days."

He's been watching the change in comedy for 15 years, and he has seen the corporate cash come in, although now, of course, he has seen some of it go out again. "There'll always be a Kilkenny, I reckon, but obviously money dictates how much risk we can take with who we bring in and how much comedy we put on. The Arts Council has become a very important source of funding for us, which has lessened our reliance on corporate money. It was certainly difficult to part with Murphy's as our title sponsor, largely because the working relationship built up over nine years was strong and there was a lot of shorthand.

"Cat Laughs has always promoted itself as an artistic event rather than a full-on commercial one. And, to be honest, both Lynn Cahill, the festival producer, and I quite like the idea of calling it the Cat Laughs again - something we haven't been able to do since the first one, in '95."

Not all big companies have lost faith in comedy, however, as shown by the arrival of Bulmers International Comedy Festival in Dublin this year. Its loose amalgam of performers, who ranged from Lenny Henry and Jasper Carrott to Jimeoin and Tina C, lacked much of a festival feel, but there was plenty of marketing behind the event.

"The attraction for sponsors has usually been that comedy attracts some ABC-something demographic that apparently is hard to get to," says Cook. "What I do know is that audiences that turn up to comedy shows are, in theory, up for having strong, or 'nuclear', ideas turned upside down, and that's attractive for a sponsor, particularly one trying to break into a market."

The Cat Laughs is a favourite of comedians, who prefer it to the cut-throat, high-pressure Edinburgh experience. This year O'Doherty had his most successful year of four at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, yet he still lost £4,000 putting on his shows. "It is a massive loss leader against some massive projected income," he says, wryly.

His success, he says, meant a flood of offers of "horrible TV shows, those panel-type programmes". But he says success there means getting to a stage at which you can hustle more successfully and call the shots every now and again.

Irish television doesn't offer great solace, but for those who get a series it can change their fortunes almost overnight. Des Bishop was a middle-ranking comic before The Des Bishop Work Experience. Since then he has become a leading attraction, repeatedly filling Vicar Street with an audience that might not otherwise have gone to see him.

"TV is key," says Billy McGrath, the series producer and director of RTÉ 2's stand-up show The Liffey Laugh, presented by Sean Hughes, whose Monday-night slot has just been extended until January 17th.

"It is the biggest marketing tool. You get paid to go on, and it means much greater exposure. TV can lend gravitas and credence to a comedian. People who mightn't have taken the chance on a comedian by going to a club will have more trust in them once they've seen them on the television. It might even push their fee up. TV and comedy have always gone hand in hand, and a successful show can make you a headline act."

He may be biased, but he has a point. Although opportunities for comedians to get on the box remain rare, they have increased. Neil Delamere and Andrew Maxwell have slots on The Panel, another RTÉ 2 programme, and Ed Byrne's Just For Laughs followed Irish comedians to the comedy festival in Montreal.

McGrath also worked on The Basement, a Nighthawks offshoot that featured stand-up comics, in 1992, and has seen changes in the way comedians approach their careers.

"The biggest difference is that there is a far more experienced group of comedians living in Ireland. Twelve years ago they didn't have the flying hours. There's been an increase in venues here, with more and more arts venues.

"Performers, if they can add some voice-over and acting to their work, can make a good living. There is the Ryanair effect, where they can fly to the UK and play venues there. Yet they don't talk as much as they used to about having to go to London to be successful.

"And, on the other hand, the bigger, more experienced comedians, like Ardal [ O'Hanlon] and Tommy [ Tiernan], are always available to do shows in Ireland."

DVD sales can add to income. Dave McSavage sells a self-produced DVD while busking. Brendan O'Carroll produced his own Mrs Brown DVDs. This Christmas most of the leading Irish comedians have a DVD on the shelves.

It can be a lonely job offstage as much as on. "It's still a career," says McGrath. "There's an increase in agents and managers, but still the most successful are the self-managers, the ones who look after themselves, who pick and choose the right work."

Cook says: "I really don't know if it's easier to make a career out of comedy than it used to be. A good stand-up here can make a decent living with some writing and a voice-over or two thrown in, but it's not huge money.

"Most comedians are always looking for the TV break or, in some cases, a straight film-acting role to increase their profile and, in the case of a success, increase their bank balance."

David O'Doherty is glad of his other careers. "I wouldn't do them only to supplement my income, though. If I was to solely devote my life to comedy I'd go insane."

The Liffey Laugh, RTÉ 2, Monday, 10.15 p.m.