JOKES are no laughing matter for Prof Des MacHale, who hopes students will take them equals seriously at the State's first summer school on humour. Prof MacHale, mathematician and author, believes the course will help raise the standard of wisecracking and fun.
The Irish, with a reputation for being witty, are in danger of losing their sense of humour, he believes, and he warns that political correctness is threatening the future of the verbal joke. Prof MacHale hopes the week long course in University College Cork, from June 30th next, will help restore humour to its rightful place, as an art form.
The curriculum will concentrate on Irish humour, and students will study the limerick, the malapropism, the Irish bull and the Irish joke, as well as known Irish wits such as Wilde, Shawl and Myles an Gopaleen. The particular brand of humour found in Cork, which Prof MacHale describes as a "unique social phenomenon", will also be studied.
He is the author of some 40 books on humour, including the popular series of Corkman and Kerryman jokes. His favourite Kerryman joke is about one explaining to another that in life there are always compensations. If someone has bad sight, usually the sense of smell is heightened a person with poor hearing would be compensated by having better than usual sight.
"I know what you mean," his friend replied. "I've noticed that whenever someone has one short kg, the other is always a bit longer."
Why are there so many great Cork pianists and so few great Cork violinists? Have you ever tried balancing a pint of stout on a violin? The definition of a true Corkman someone who would go into a revolving door behind you and come out in front of you.
"Humour is as important as poetry or the other arts to our culture and it is also very enjoyable, but it tends to be looked down on as an academic subject and as a creative process by artists," says Prof MacHale.
He blames recent American TV comedy series with their canned laughter and poor jokes for falling standards of humour. The problem has become worse since the need to be politically correct entered the world of humour.
"As a result of this, the usual targets - mothers in law, coloured people and even the Irish - are no longer acceptable. But there is absolutely no evidence to prove jokes are harmful to their targets," he says.
Collecting, memorising and composing jokes since he was 16, he says humour as a process is an intellectual achievement requiring considerable analytical and creative powers.
He is head of UCC's maths department and sees a strong relationship between maths and humour. "Humour turns logic on its head while maths glorifies logic," he explains. His books include one of maths jokes.
As well as watching films, presentations and performances, the students will have access to the world's second biggest library on humour. The collection of 9,000 volumes, including over 4,000 books owned by Prof MacHale, is housed in the library of UCC.