#49 Bottomless Brunch and Holidays for Gays

8 Jan 2026 · 40 min · 21 chapters

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In short

Your Internet Boyfriends - Episode #49: Bottomless Brunch and Holidays for Gays

Episode Overview In the 49th episode of "Your Internet Boyfriends," hosts Mark and Denis, both Irish comedians, share their experiences and humorous observations about dating, life, and holiday traditions, exploring these topics through their unique perspectives—one gay and one straight.

Key Themes and Discussions

  • Denis's Upcoming Bottomless Brunch
  • Attending a bottomless brunch with 15 women, filled with Prosecco.
  • Expected emotional breakdown by the end of the day.
  • Mark's Concerns
  • Discusses worries about his appearance post-holiday, particularly dark circles under his eyes and the stress of upcoming tax returns.
  • January Blues
  • Conversation touches on the typical misery associated with January (taxes, overdrafts).
  • A humorous take on how many people dread this time of year due to financial pressures after the holidays.
  • Nolag na mBan (Women’s Christmas)
  • Explanation of this Irish holiday celebrated on January 6th, marking the end of Christmas festivities.
  • Discussion on its significance for women, who traditionally take a break from household duties, allowing them to enjoy themselves.

Cultural Insights

  • Irish New Year Traditions
  • The hosts share various strange Irish New Year customs.
  • Christmas Decorations
  • The cultural tradition in Ireland to leave Christmas decorations up until January 6th.
  • De-gaying on Holiday
  • The complexities of being openly gay while traveling, particularly in countries with strict LGBTQ+ laws.

Key Takeaways

  • The hosts combine humor with personal anecdotes to highlight both light and serious subjects, showcasing their friendship through playful banter.
  • Their discussion about Women’s Christmas illustrates a cultural practice that has evolved over time, with an emphasis on female empowerment and socialization.
  • They touch on the consequences of traveling to less accepting countries and the moral dilemmas faced by LGBTQ+ travelers.

Future Plans

  • Denis shares plans for upcoming trips to various cities, including Barcelona and New York, while also mentioning a desire to visit Petra in Jordan.

Personal Anecdotes

  • Mark humorously recounts the mishaps of a previous holiday trip, including the absurdity of friends' poor preparation and experiences with tradesmen in their home.

Conclusion

The episode offers a cozy and comedic reflection on the winter season, touching on personal, cultural, and humorous aspects of life, dating, and friendship in contemporary society.

Contact Information

  • Listeners are encouraged to reach out via email or social media with their own stories and feedback.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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Raising January Spirits

0:46 to 1:59

Discussion on the aftermath of Christmas and how to improve January vibes.

“Because today is, what is it, the 8th of January.”

Women's Christmas Celebration

2:00 to 4:10

Exploration of Women's Christmas in Ireland and its cultural significance.

“So I like to pay the taxes and then I like to go good, really nice down into the overdraft for the next two or three months and then it's grand to pick it up again then.”

Epiphany and the Last Day of Christmas

4:11 to 6:04

Discussion about the Epiphany and its traditions related to Christmas.

“They were last to come They were last to come So they came on this day It's called the Epiphany, is it?”

Celebrating Women's Achievements

6:05 to 8:16

Reflecting on the historical roles of women and the evolution of Women's Christmas.

“Because you have one more go of drunk women.”

Bottomless Brunch Culture

8:17 to 10:44

Discussion on the social dynamics and the fun of bottomless brunches.

“So, heading into this year, do you think now you will have, do you think you'll have less sex or more sex than you had last year?”

Travel Plans and Cultural Sensitivity

10:45 to 14:02

Hosts share travel plans and discuss the complexities of being gay in different cultures.

“you know, when you're going away, just think about if this was two days at home what would I wear?”

Understanding Holiday Destinations for LGBTQ+ Travelers

14:03 to 15:10

Explore the complexities of traveling to destinations with varying LGBTQ+ rights.

“Well, I'm saying it because local people who live there then don't get treated the same and can end up in prison for showing any kind of queerness.”

Experiences of Homophobia in Hospitality

15:11 to 16:32

Discuss personal experiences of encountering judgment and homophobia while traveling.

Navigating Relationships in Public Spaces

16:33 to 17:54

Learn how societal perceptions affect the way couples interact in public.

“Like, I mean, that's, you know, like that's just a tiny inconvenience.”

Funny Encounters with Tradesmen

17:55 to 19:45

Hear a humorous story about misunderstandings with tradesmen in a queer household.

“Tradesmen putting up cartons, fixing chairs.”
Show all 21 chapters

Upcoming Media Moments and Their Impact

19:46 to 21:11

Discuss an upcoming media feature and its significance for the household.

“Because like a straight man coming into this, it's obviously a very gay house.”

Christmas Traditions and Their Variations

21:12 to 23:07

Examine different Christmas traditions and the cultural significance behind them.

“Oh, I never told you what I had to do with the Christmas tree.”

The Care of Christmas Trees

23:08 to 24:49

Learn about the proper care and maintenance of Christmas trees to keep them fresh.

“It's Stephen's Day So I'm sticking with it Or beyond England Yeah Is it?”

Witty Observations on Holiday Experiences

24:50 to 26:18

Enjoy light-hearted commentary on various holiday experiences and their quirks.

“But maybe people are buying their Christmas trees later on or something.”

Celebrating New Year's: Expectations vs Reality

26:19 to 28:00

Discuss the reality of New Year's celebrations compared to the expectations set by other cities.

“I want us to do an Irish episode No we will I'll do an Irish episode Yeah Coming up We'll get a Gaelgóir on Any gay Gaelgóirs out there?”

Exploring London and Dublin's Attractions

28:00 to 28:45

Discover the highlights of visiting London and Dublin, focusing on iconic landmarks and events.

Weekend Wedding Adventures

28:45 to 30:07

Hear about a fun wedding experience filled with dancing and unexpected antics on the dance floor.

“I did a little bit of running man, did a little bit of, you know, old man overbite.”

Deer Encounters at Bushy Park

30:07 to 31:21

Learn about a surprising visit to Bushy Park and the wild deer during rutting season.

“No, I don't think I've heard since clown territory.”

The Surreal Sounds of Nature

31:21 to 34:34

Dive into the experience of witnessing and hearing the stags in the park, discussing their behavior and sounds.

“Sorry, there's a Bushy Park at home and it's where they sent the alcoholics.”

Dreams and Naked Friends

34:34 to 36:22

Explore a humorous dream scenario involving a naked friend and the complications it brings.

“and you don't know where it's coming from.”

Living Arrangements and Privacy

36:22 to 39:35

Discuss the dynamics of living with a female roommate and the unspoken rules of privacy.

“like, kind of came together into one big soup.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:28I'm going to a bottomless brunch. to slay and now you're worried about the eyes. I'm very dark under the eyes. It's just realising, that's all. It's just because you relax so well over Christmas. It's very dark under the eyes. But we promised that we're going to be very positive for January. We are, yeah. Because today is, what is it, the 8th of January. So there's a lot of misery now. It's all over. A lot of misery. People ruined New Year's, probably ruined their family Christmas. A friend of mine had a Christmas tradition every year. He would come home from college or work or wherever he was and he'd vomit in his bed and ruin Christmas.

1:10Every year he did it, no matter how hard he tried not to. So if you're one of those people, don't worry because we're going to make your January so much better. We're going to be so positive. You can see it in Mark's face. So upbeat. Do you know what I love about January is every year I forget that I have to do my taxes. so the next three weeks are going to be me and I'll tell you every week about it oh people can't wait on this episode talking about how I haven't done my taxes and I've known for 12 months I should have done them so we're going to launch an ASMR episode where it's just Mark filling out his taxes he's not talking yeah just going through receipts for Zara saying could I I mean this is a business expense it is no yeah back in these trousers again yeah of course it is yeah I need to do that now this next couple of weeks and then you know what I like to do I like to go into a huge amount of debt then.

2:01Oh, that's fantastic. So I like to pay the taxes and then I like to go good, really nice down into the overdraft for the next two or three months and then it's grand to pick it up again then. So great. Maybe that is the battery recharge you needed listening to us today is thinking about tax returns and debt. We have the decorations up. I know they're a little bit late, but we wanted to acknowledge a very special holiday that we had two days ago and I don't think the English people know about this or the American people. In Ireland, Christmas goes on for proper 12 days and on the 6th of January we have Nolignamon which is Women's Christmas or Little Christmas.

2:43And they all go mad. Do you know what it is? Do you know what the date is? Why it's the 6th? So January 6th is a big date for lots of things but do you know why? Do you know what it celebrates? Have a guess. The last day of Christmas What happened? Last day of Christmas My true love gift to me They packed up the stable Almost They've got They had baby Jesus We had baby Jesus ages ago Did I mention About baby Jesus In the cribs Did I mention that? At home In a previous episode Tell it again Lisa If I did I apologise But Lisa was shocked That there was no We came into Cork airport And there was no baby Jesus In the crib sure he's not born he's not born yeah but I mean that's one of those things that culturally makes complete sense to us yeah but she thought it was the strangest thing in the world she was like I mean she loved it she appreciated it or a commitment but it's just do you know they lost the baby Jesus in Malibar before panic and they just put I'd say it was a baby born into the crib with like a hoodie on anyway that's a completely different story but you where did we go before I just sidetracked this the twelfth day of Christmas twelfth day of Christmas My true love came to me Gave to me It's the last day Last day of Christmas We're waiting now for the visitors They had to come a long way Are we talking about Are we talking about Jesus and the donkeys and the lads?

4:09Yeah, yeah Alright, so the king's men Women The women They were last What? They were last to come They were last to come So they came on this day It's called the Epiphany, is it? Is that the name of the day? Yeah, the wise men came and brought the presents and then it's all over now so they can pack up but then we're trying to say that the baby Jesus has been in that crib for two weeks is that right? am I wrong? to be honest what do the wise men because they had to travel from the other land what does that have to do with rolling them on? I thought it was but that no so that's what the date is and then it became in Ireland especially it became women's Christmas because for the last six weeks the women of Ireland now we're talking about in the 50s obviously we have holding the house together hopefully more of a balance in the household but let's just be honest for most of history the women did all the jobs in the house getting ready for Christmas making cakes cleaning the house getting ready for the visitors washing the children washing the children washing the house getting the presents wrapping the presents getting ready for mass doing all the jobs so on the 6th of January then the women are supposed to take a break and the men are supposed to do all the jobs and the women are supposed to actually like go out and enjoy themselves and socialise and but it's become like this is all so backward and sexist and like it's all so fixed and like binary gender roles but it's kind of become a new kind of like celebration of women and it's like a day when you see a lot of I don't know just acknowledgement of women's achievements it's great Also a lot of bottomless brunches A lot of bottomless brunches.

5:55And I think, you know, if feminism could ever be summed up, it's the power behind a bottomless brunch. But it's a great extra little boost for the town. Because you have one more go of drunk women. And they'll spend the money. By God, they spend money. Vouchers. Everyone's got a voucher for Christmas. Do you run the... No, I'm just going to do it. I don't care. starting off 2026 I'm just going to jump straight into the generalisation get this thing rolling This is just a little reminder if you're enjoying the podcast make sure to click follow on Spotify or you can leave a little review on Apple Podcasts Thanks so much Women go out and they'll say to you I'm heading out there now for a drink with Maura I'll be back in an hour I'm nervous I'll be back in an hour We're just going down to the gallery who are having one drink and then we're coming home.

6:53Yeah. Knowing in their heart and soul Wild. that they'll be crawling up the road. Six bottles of wine. Absolutely demented after drinking 60 bottles of Prosecco. Why do people pretend? I've known. But should dumb men do that as well? I go down for two pints. I think, I think they do. But I think, I think it's, I don't think, in fairness, I don't think the men even believe that they're, I don't think the men believe it. Yeah. I think, The women believe it. Oh. So they're not lying. No, no. In that moment, I do believe they think they're going to do that. I'm going to have a glass of wine with Sheila.

7:32I'm going to go down now and have a small sherry with Elaine. And then... Back in half an hour. And they don't come back for seven hours. And they're absolutely demented. And the bags are on their head and the heels are in their hands and they're wearing someone's shoes that they, you know, like someone's suit shoes. Yeah, isn't it great? I know, but like, I think we need to move into this year now by just saying, look, I'm going out there, I'm going to a bottomless brunch, there's going to be 16 of us, we're going to harass the waiter for six hours and I'm going to get shit-faced. I'll see you later, I deserve this.

8:03I'm going to come home at nine o 'clock crying. Yeah, I'm going to be bawling crying when I come home and then after about 45 minutes of crying about something that happened 16 years ago, I'm going to get really randy and then we're going to have sex. Yeah, and just plan it, organise it. So, heading into this year, do you think now you will have, do you think you'll have less sex or more sex than you had last year? Oh, Jesus Christ, I'm exhausted. I don't know. I'd say I'd want to, January now, I'd say if I could just get through it. Do you know? Sorry. But I'm going to go. What is this mood? I don't know.

8:42What is this hoodie mood? It's when you started talking about women drinking, I was like, oh no. But it's very, it's very like, It's get cancelled. It's very Virgin Mary. I am very virginal yeah no I'm going to have loads of little trips now this month because I've no work no one cares about most of the stuff that I do so I'm going to Belfast in January in a few weeks I'm going to go to Brighton for a little holiday and I'm going to visit all my friends that I've ignored and then I have a gang I think I think I have a gang coming over from home for a few weeks which will be or in a few weeks family friends or what friends friends like school friends so I hope this has happened because there's a WhatsApp group that I have just been ignoring.

9:22You are. You're fierce. I can't keep up with it. But it's hopping and there's a poll and they're picking dates and it's gone on and on and on. But hopefully that will have been organised by the time this comes out and they're coming if we're all still alive. So that'll be nice. So yeah, we're going to do loads of little bits now. We're going to have a great month. It's going to be fantastic. We had a hopeless, hopeless, we had a hopeless trip there before. You know, one of those WhatsApp groups that, you know, goes on holidays. Right? it's criminal. Sometimes it's just stay in the WhatsApp group.

9:52But we came over to London before I was living here. It was me and a good few of lads. And like, it was just, it was like we were unable to do anything. Like, I actually wondered about, like, I feared for us. One lad came over and he bought shoes for the trip because he'd no shoes. He needed shoes for London. No shoes, right? Like, as in he'd no, he'd no shoes that weren't just completely falling apart. Like, and I get, Again, you know, if that's your situation, but it was not his situation. Right, this man could have loads of shoes if he wanted. He could have all his shoes in the world. And he came over and bought new shoes.

10:27And then the new shoes hurt his ankle so much that he couldn't go out. So he had to stay inside for the whole weekend. God. And I just thought, you know, I suppose I'm thinking about all these things because I'm like, we have to do better this year. Yeah. You know, we must do better. And maybe don't make such a big fuss about, you know, when you're going away, just think about if this was two days at home what would I wear? What would I use? Just There's absolutely no way you'll take this advice from yourself. I know but like you don't need all these That's what people love. People love fuss. I think people love the thought of going on a holiday and being stressed out.

11:06You see some people there in the lines of airports and they have their boarding pass on the phone and the phone dies and they're just going oh yes I'm going to have the biggest argument I've ever I think some people love it Just a bit of They love coming home Love coming home after a holiday It was a fucking disaster Yeah And just going Well I said there now And she said that I said That she said Where are you going next? I'm going to Barcelona Oops In April Best man at a wedding April okay Yeah Before that I don't know I feel like we've gone nowhere There was a lot of going A few months ago I might go to New York Yeah That's all depending On my high flying partner and whether she's going over there on a big work trip and then I'll swan along swan along yeah and I'll hide in a hotel like a little beaver yeah and then I'll eat I'll eat the food and the sandwiches and stuff yeah and kind of come in under the cover of darkness so Barcelona Barcelona and then I'll go to I'll go to New York but good lord right the flights to New York are very expensive 600 yeah I got it when I went to LA last year I got an unbelievable deal and I can only really go on these things if I get an unbelievable deal.

12:18Yeah. You know, because they're just so expensive. But yeah, go to New York, go to Barcelona and then, I don't know where after that. Do you know where I really, Go on. I really, really want to go to Petra. What's that? In Jordan. Oh. It's, it's this kind of, it's this ancient building built into like kind of a sandscape. I know it. I can see it yeah I want to go to that okay I want to get up in a camel and I want to go over to that right but what's the crack there could I go no what could you I don't know actually there's so many places well it depends what you're doing do you oh this is kind of awful right so if anyone if anyone you know missed that okay Mark saying can I go there like would I be allowed would I be accepted or whatever do gay people go places and kind of you know again and I'm treating this sensitively, this isn't a joke, but for a phrase, do they de-gay themselves?

13:17Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, you do. There is a plague, there's a curse, and I'm going to get dragged now for talking about this, but there's so many rich gays going to Dubai, going to, even going to like Saudi Arabia, going to countries where there is very, very strict rules and some places, like there's literally imprisonment and death penalty for being gay. But if you swan in as a visitor and you're rich and you're staying in the Four Seasons Hotel, things will be kind of overlooked. And if you're respectful and obviously you don't barge in and start, you know, bothering people and offending people, you'll be kind of tolerated.

14:02There's some debunked holidayers now sizzling. listen to your words. Well, I'm saying it because local people who live there then don't get treated the same and can end up in prison for showing any kind of queerness. And it's just a wild kind of tolerance or something that people have given that you're happy to go to a place and spend money in a place that officially, legally, you're not allowed to be yourself. Yeah, no, I totally agree with that. but there's work there's business and like I've loads of people who've gone to live in countries where it's illegal to be gay and they've kind of said well you know it's a job so I'll just take it and I'll just reduce myself and but it's there's a risk and it happens every now and then it happens that there's a bit of a a raid or there's a bit of a reminder there'll be a couple of people arrested or something just to yeah and that's that's that's the rules that's the law.

15:03When you go on like I don't know, like a holiday to France or you know, Spain or depending where you are do you check it out to see if it's like gay friendly? I mean anywhere in the EU mostly, you have a bit of comfort at least that legally, like there'll always be discrimination but legally, if something actually happened, you could go to the police or the government is on your side but if you go to a country where legally you're wrong then it's a different story and that's like there is parts of Europe where that's like in Hungary and places there's such a reversal going on and you could end up in a very tricky situation but like in Europe I wouldn't really be too concerned like you might get a look sometimes if you check into a hotel as two boys in Japan actually a lot there's there's wild variety of kind of reactions sometimes if you're checking it but never never hatred there might be a bit of kind of this is different but there's still respect I found maybe I'm wrong but have you ever have you ever found that in an Irish B &B or a hotel or anything smaller you know no I've experienced it homophobia I've experienced it it's always gay yeah no I've experienced it with like going in as a kind of a younger couple into places.

16:33Oh, not married? Not married. Isn't that mad? Like, I mean, that's, you know, like that's just a tiny inconvenience. I'm not worried I'm going to be arrested or anything. But like a little bit of judgment, you know? When we first, like 10 years ago, when we first started booking places, I'd be a little bit, but now you've so much less interaction you generally don't even go into your B &Bs and stuff, talk to the person on the desk or anything. Yeah, we had a funny situation where we have we often have like people coming into the house doing jobs and I notice myself pulling back sometimes to say my boyfriend I don't know I don't know why why to like say I am like proudly say it couldn't be arsed like I don't know who this guy is I don't know what he thinks about me I don't need to I've noticed sometimes I don't clarify my position in the house I'm like oh we live together you know You don't come out and say it?

17:32I don't know. Yeah. Because you're kind of, if there was any funny feelings there from, you know, whatever he's doing, like the plumber or something. Might not fix your tap as well as he could fix it. It's just awkward. I had a very funny situation the other day. There was a man, there is a non-stop rotation of men coming into our house all the time. Tradesmen putting up cartons, fixing chairs. We have a big, I can't say what it is yet, but there is a big media moment coming and our apartment is going to be showcased. Very cool. Huge, like very, very big deal. So we're getting everything together for that.

18:15So there's men in and out the door every day. I'm sure I'm there working from home and stuff, so I have to let them in. And there was a man and he was coming to fix a chair. We have this thing that Donald designed and he, it's just a bit intimate, like he's in the house and there's nowhere to go so I'm kind of just like sitting at the table while he had to climb under this chair to try and kind of go in with his torch and see what he was going to fix and I had my phone on loud because I was waiting for him to come and waiting for him to ring me so I was starting to do some work on my phone and I was I don't know what I was doing but I had to screenshot something What did you have to screenshot?

18:56Whatever it was but he was in under the chair and I was sitting at the table beside him clicking screenshots. So then the big camera click.

19:07And there's no way to describe. I was like, oh, I wasn't taking a photo of you. And no matter how many times, he's under the chair. He's under the... Arse out and his head is under the chair. He can't see me. And he hears this click, camera click noise and it's me taking a screenshot or something in my job, in my phone. And the poor man, he was like, this gay man, take a picture of my house. He's like, that's got to be in gay magazines everywhere. And there's no, how do you explain it? I was like, oh, I had to screenshot something and my phone was on loud and it just sounds like a fucking... I'd love to see his face under the table.

19:46Oh my God almighty. Because like a straight man coming into this, it's obviously a very gay house. Yeah. And they're probably a bit uneasier. I don't know. I just make these things up in my head. But I have this... No, but you make them up for a reason, right? Like as in you make them up because... Sexy art everywhere. Because you ran into stuff before like where it's been easier if you do it in a certain way, right? Then they click. Oh, Jesus Christ. The poor man. Then you put it on silent and did take a picture of his arse. I did, yeah. Yeah, you did. I have it here. And now that's up on the wall.

20:20I have it here. Next time he comes in and fixes his arse. That's not your arse. But yeah, there's a lot of those jobs now. A lot of upholstering. people dropping off things and can I how much can I ask about this not a lot not a lot big deal are you going to ask for this to be edited out no no no it'll be are you featuring you'll know about it no no no you'll know about it it's going to be a big deal it's just going to be an expose on me he's a wanker so are you are you featuring in it I'm not featuring in it oh okay I was really hoping for like you know yourself and himself sitting on the bed yeah you know discussing the curtains and stuff no I don't need to be involved I might I might make sure that there's a little shot of the piano or something yeah yeah just a little bit you yeah but and when is that coming up I don't know okay could be at any point yeah loads of bits at Rose's actually Victoria Beckham did a huge photo shoot at Rose's oh wow our queer jazz bar for her collection how did she how did that come about just see all these gays work for these kind of things do you know they all there's a lot of like important fashion-y gays hey um lovely gay men out there if you know anyone important if you know anyone cool right they'll help us out in any way do you think so or maybe you are an important gay man yeah get in contact yeah right we're building something we need the we need the help we want Victoria Beckham I think so yeah loads of bits like that what else wait what are you talking about no that can't be it that's it well they just came and took photos and they used which way again they used the bar as the campaign.

21:58Oh, I never told you what I had to do with the Christmas tree. I know this is not exactly... Is it down now? Have you taken it down? It's dead. It's gone. Because you know what I was meant to say with the little Christmas in Ireland, we have to leave the decorations up until the 6th of January. I know we're trying to be very positive, but is there anything more depressing than taking down the Christmas decorations? On the 6th of January? Yeah. So late. No, I think that's great. But the English people don't do that. Astro-Nagish people I think just people bury people in like an hour New Year's Day Oh no actually no it's us to bury people Second but like it's over they've been done and we're still going Yeah Another big dinner Can I ask you something Tell me about the tree I'll tell you about the tree in two seconds but have you yet right and this is also about kind of you know degaying and stuff in a way This is like de-Irishing Have you do you call it Boxing Day yet I would say both Oh really I would say Boxing Day I would say Stephen's Day Boxing Day I can't call it Boxing Day But should there You'll have to clarify yourself I just I clarify it When I say Stephen's Day I clarify it because Also Everyone calls it Stephen's Day Yeah Like if you go look up The list of countries It's Stephen's Day So I'm sticking with it Or beyond England Yeah Is it?

23:11Yeah It's not just us We haven't just lost the plot It's like loads of people New Zealand All those lads I would say both Yeah I say Do you know why it's called Boxing Day? What does that mean? Putting away the bits No No, it's like when the postman and the milkman and all these people and the breadman, bread person, they would come along with a little box and you'd give them a tip or a gift or whatever on that day. That's when they'd come along. Because actually, I remember when we had a breadman, same namesake, Dennis. Yeah. They would come along and you'd give them like a little, you know, a bottle of whiskey or an envelope or whatever.

23:47Something you got and you don't want. Often. That's what you do. Some people would buy them a gift. no you give him a tip or like whatever but that's where it comes from that's what I call boxing I for a very long time thought it meant boxing because I think there was like some boxing matches on and then I just immediately put that together also sorry I know I'm going mad yeah I do this thing where I just take names of things for granted and then never really kind of look at what it means like bluetooth yeah no idea well like what that's that's a bluetooth right and people just say it as if it's normal I don't actually know why it's called Bluetooth, but I know that there was a king of Denmark called Harold Bluetooth something.

24:26And then it clicked with me and I was like, oh, maybe that's what it is. There's some connection there, I don't know. Someone who's into that can explain that to us. But the Christmas tree. I discovered to my horror that you actually have to put Christmas trees in water. Oh yeah. Do you do that? We don't have a real one, but I know about it. Yeah, but we definitely didn't do that years and years ago. But maybe people are buying their Christmas trees later on or something. Oh, you'd get it the week of Christmas. Yeah, I don't know. I can't ever remember watering a Christmas tree. Yeah, you put it in a little...

25:04Yeah, yeah, a little saucer. You forgot to do it. Forgot to do it and the Christmas tree sealed up. Yeah. And it wasn't sucking up any water. And the Christmas tree is going to be dead well before Christmas. So I had to saw off the end of the Christmas tree. Yeah. Except I had no saw. Yeah. And so what I got was A bread knife A sod A Christmas tree off This fat little thing The fat little glad Yeah And Which Unfortunately the roommate did listen Oh yeah To the episode And said that we were fat shaming her Christmas tree I've seen no photo of it Throw one up You know what She's made a great job of it Yeah I mean it's doing the best They can Like it's very wide And now Because I chopped some of it off Did you just give the Christmas tree They then pronouns Jesus Christ We've gone woke here I could have gotten lots of trouble for she She's a fat Christmas tree You've been around me too long It's a safer option That's great I'm glad that's been programmed into me Did you see Catherine Connolly our new president doing the countdown to lighting the Christmas tree No Oh unbelievable She's great She's thrown in From de or from where From de to a knee to Ocht Sacht Sé Cúig Cáir Trí Do Hén That is really hard to say backwards Yeah She's great She's dropping in these little bits Get the little bit Irish Get the little bit in Just say the nouns A little situation Say the nouns Yeah It's really fun Just say a couple of things Did I say this already?

26:38I want us to do an Irish episode No we will I'll do an Irish episode Yeah Coming up We'll get a Gaelgóir on Any gay Gaelgóirs out there? A Gaelgóir A Gaelgóir A Gaelgóir but she lit the Christmas tree and it was beautiful at the Auras but then I saw a lot of videos turning on the tree kind of has become a big spectacle and everyone's kind of gathering with their phones and they're trying to make it a big moment and it kind of wasn't always like that the lights just kind of were on one day and you notice them but they all kind of go wrong oh the big countdown and then so for New Year's I made the terrible, terrible mistake and don't Irish people make the same mistake as I did.

27:21So in London, right, it's, you know, incredible. It's like Sydney, you know, like the fireworks display and it's just amazing. I made the terrible decision of talking up Dublin as being very good as well. And it was actually quite hard to get the footage. Now I know, look, we don't have the same money and stuff but I think we could probably work it out. Holy Mary, mother of God. it was like four farts going off just bleep bleep bleep and that was it I was like come on where did they on the river or they'd do it out and I think they'd do it out I saw one that was like in the bay but there was one on the docks yeah there was one that was like in the centre tall I don't think Dublin has the same like guaranteed like London it's all the London Eye there's a focus everyone knows where to go go to the river the eye is the it's absolutely phenomenal and you can't like you have to book a ticket and it can be there I don't know if Dublin has like a every year this is the pinpoint place yeah yeah I don't know they've done different things up and down the river and stuff but I'd love to see this buyer kind of like a big firework a big massive thing like down O 'Connell Street yeah maybe maybe at one of the casinos yeah yeah Dr.

28:40Quirky's Dr. Quirky's could be lit up it's nearly time to we take a little break yeah we'll have a little break there voice and fireworks

28:53you know what I did at the weekend right I mentioned on an episode that I was at a wedding right I was preparing for one and I went to the wedding and I had a couple of drinks didn't go too mad carriages at 12 headed away home in a carriage and four horses and next day I got up hungover and herself said to me, you know, whatever you do, my only ask is don't do anything silly on the dance floor. You did, of course. I ignored that advice, obviously. What? I did a little bit of running man, did a little bit of, you know, old man overbite. Do you know that one? Don't know that one. Oh, yeah. Do you know that one?

29:34Oh, yeah. Do it into the camera. Yeah. Why would you do that? I don't know. It's just something that's in you, right? That's like, it's just like, it's just something that's in me. I have an underbite, I can't do it. My genetic makeup. Yeah, you can do that one. That one's a bit stranger though. Yeah, that's my natural, I can't. Tie around the head. Yeah. Right, you know all this classic like stuff that would properly give you know, any person the ache. Bust all those out. So, the next morning obviously it was a big hit as well which was very annoying for her I think. Oh, they thought you were fun.

30:02They thought I was great. But do they also think like you know, a bit of a clown? No, I don't think I've heard since clown territory. I think I was safely out of the circle. You know the fella that goes on for too long and it's like... Can I say, he was actually there. Okay. That guy was there. Yeah. And it was a big uncle running around the place. Yeah. And he had the tie on the head before anyone did. Yeah. Kind of shouldering into people and jostling. Oh my lord, I just remembered they did limbo. Oh. Why do people do limbo? And a stick or a brush? A tie or a cravat or something was draped. Don't do limbo.

30:37I wouldn't dream of it. Can you imagine me? there's a lot no there's a lot of a lot of flashing going on as well like small skirts yeah they're riding up and and then the you know the old lads will come in and they'll try and do it and they'll go under the thing but they're just walking you know their neck is back not that I not that I'd be that flexible it's very I think nothing worse it's it's verging into like office Christmas party it is game I could die couldn't where everyone's invited into a meeting of HR the next morning yeah nonsense yeah But the next day, I was walking up and I have never been given so many jobs to do on a Sunday.

31:15Ah, stop. Do you know where we went? We went to a place called Bushy Park. Have you been down there? No. Sorry, there's a Bushy Park at home and it's where they sent the alcoholics. What? Why would you go? It's like a centre. We shouldn't laugh about this. But to be, you say someone was in Bushy Park. what I'm laughing at was it actually a place it was an estate or something it was like a centre like a recovery centre or something carry on where they go down for a break different yeah for a break so it wasn't that place this is the park park park in ways I would have preferred to have been in there on the Sunday but we went to Bushy Park and it's down it's like near Richmond Park it's just right next to Richmond Park oh yeah but we went in and we were going into the car park parking I'd say I went around the car park eight times hung over.

32:07My left leg started shaking. We had to park. We parked up. That was actually on me. I just had to park. I was like, I actually can't get out of here. I've invested too much. Yeah. Went in. Heard loads of roaring inside there. Loads of roaring. Deer in rutting season. Oh. Riding and fighting. In the middle of the day? It was absolutely mental. Wow. They were everywhere, right? There was like, a stag would have his herd of women. Yeah. And then they'd fight with other ones, other little groups all over the park. People were walking along, going in between these deer fighting. It was nuts. There was kids screaming.

32:45There was kids absolutely traumatized. Have you heard a stag roar? No. It is... It's kind of hot. It's like a... I mean, it wasn't doing much for me. It was getting... It was like a dinosaur. Yeah. Is there like one? Does he go around the ball? How does it work? Honestly, he has about... How many? 20. Women. 20 each. And then the young lads, the young lads are kind of coming in going, wee! They're going in and out while they're distracting him, going in for, I suppose, a quick ride or something. So they don't have, do they have like one partner? No. No, no, they've got, I swear they've got like 20 of them.

Read the full transcript

33:20All around. Yeah, they're poly. They're loads of them. Are loads of, is it the same with cows? There seems to be like loads of cows and there's only one or two bulls. So, for the cows, does the bull go around every cow? The bull goes around every cow. God, They send that you can rent a bull. Oh, I know. Yeah. Yeah. And you pop him in for a bit and he goes around riding then. Everyone. Yeah. Rides a whole lot of them. And they are very quick as well. Yeah. Jump up one pump gone. Jesus. Yeah. You know, the ideal. So all those cows are siblings. I suppose so, yeah. But then I guess, what, you get a different bull after that?

33:58I don't know. Does anyone keep track? I suppose you'd have to or else you'd end up with... Daughter. Anyway. so the fucking hell that's nice and why were you there? just for severe punishment I suppose it was honestly surreal we were walking along at one point and you could hear a stag I'll give you a little rendition of it right it was except I'm not going to open my mouth as much as they stick their tongue back from that microphone a bit but they were like oh they like that but like fucking worse than that like 10 times more than that so you're walking along and then all of a sudden and you hear that thing and you don't know where it's coming from.

34:35They're huge. They were charging and everything. Running into their water. Attacking geese. God, oh my God. It was madness. It was the worst thing you ever could have done hungover. Yeah. What would you have now to recover? What would I get? I like, you know, I like to go outside. Yeah. Not like that though. I like to go for a, I like to go for a little walk. Okay. I mean, water. Oh, the nightmares I had. Do you know what? I had a nightmare that, um, go on. I don't know, should I say this? I won't say a nightmare It wasn't scary But when I woke up I was like I thought it was real I thought it happened And I was like How am I going to deal with this I had a dream That Lisa's male friend Insisted on being naked everywhere Me Probably And it was just becoming In the dream It was becoming like a real It was becoming a real pain You know like organising stuff Whatever You go to a restaurant Or out and about in public Oh everywhere yeah Is there something behind that?

35:35Is this someone you know? No, no, it wasn't a guy. A made-up person. It was like a made-up guy, like a faceless guy. I think it was just, it was like the most incredible admin problem that my brain decided to do. What are we going to do with Dave? Yeah, what are we going to do with him? Swearing the cock. And then I woke up in the morning and I just thought, oh, we're going to have to talk about that. Yeah, can't bring him to, maybe there was someone, someone now is making you insecure. or something. Was it sexy hot, naked? No, no, no. I don't think it was coming from... Normal naked. I wouldn't mind admitting it, but I don't think it was coming from an insecurity.

36:12I think it was just because I had a lot of stuff on. Yeah. You know? And also, I suppose, maybe just from some of the messages and stuff I receive on Instagram, kind of all, like, kind of came together into one big soup. Yeah. Are you naked around the house? Am I naked around the house? Is there windows? So I live with my... female roommate oh yeah so I I wouldn't be too naked around the house that's true when she goes away though would you be swinging around swinging around no I wouldn't just just on the odd chance you know that she might come home or something aw do you text do you tell each other your movements what like announce that you're coming out naked no that you're coming home or you're you're not coming home so we have we have an unsaid thing now where we have a hook and if the car keys are on the hook then you kind of know the person's there or like the house keys house keys oh yeah is this the bit you're surprised by is that we both have cars yeah this is the bit that always knocks you I know I can't picture it but you live in the middle of like the busiest place in the world yeah I can't picture it so you come in and you know the key is there so she's in yeah so she's in so then I keep the trow up you know otherwise otherwise drop trow straight away and what if you were like home alone would would she announce I'll be home in an hour Mark this sounds like she has to announce it because otherwise I'm going to be naked all over the place but even just like mess and just slobbing around slobbing around I hate we like we always tell each other I'll be home in 10 minutes I'll be home in an hour I just want to know where would you be at?

37:47doesn't matter just I just want to know tidy up and just I just give I just give the keys a good shake and you know so you're always on alert like she could come in I'm not what is this what am I up to in the house? I don't know singing, cooking, been a fool. Singing, cooking's grand. Yeah. Also, there's just large windows everywhere. Right. Do you know when I moved in there first I did a good test, right? Walked in there first, I said, the blind faces out onto what is pretty much a car park. Yeah. A very busy car park. I looked at that blind and I said, I'm casting a big shadow on that. A big shadow.

38:19A big shadow on that, right? Yeah. I said, that's going to be a problem. Yeah. Right. So I actually did a test. Oh, like puppets? I had, no, I had her, I had her stand up there. behind the blinds. Yeah. Right? And I ran down then to see what kind of silhouette I could see. Oh, 3D. The whole... 3D. The whole show was there. That's funny. The whole show. That would be funny. Yeah. So when they came back in then to change some blinds, I said, here, put up some black oak blinds there or I'll be on the news. We demanded Venetians. Did you? Of course you did. We got metal Venetians. They're lovely. Yeah, they're real nice.

38:56Metal, metal? Like, you know, like you'd have in an office. Oh, yes. But they're stylish. They're very good up and down. Nothing comes in. You'd love that. But nobody can see. You'd love the accuracy of it. Well, there's one woman sticks her head out the window smoking and she has, it's a very unusual like angle that she has. But there was a period in lockdown when I was at home alone quite often and I was trying out different places in the house and I realised in that one particular corner of the bed she has a view directly in. So I had to stop that. Stop what?

39:32Live streaming going on. Yeah. Okay, that's the end of that now. Thanks for listening to Your Internet Boyfriends. You can watch this full episode back in HD on YouTube. And we'd love to hear from you. If you want to drop us a message with your news or your saucy stories, you can get us on Instagram or TikTok. Or you can email us at yourinternetboyfriends at gmail.com. Off we go now. Very busy. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

From the publisher

Denis is heading to a bottomless brunch with 15 women, full Prosecco confidence, and a guaranteed emotional breakdown by 9pm. Mark is worrying about his eyes, remembering the red-nose event, and explaining why January means overdrafts, tax returns and mild despair.


We yap about:


  • Nolag na mBan / Women’s Christmas
  • strange Irish New Year traditions
  • why Mark screenshots a plumber by accident
  • de-gaying on holiday
  • Barcelona plans, New York hopes & Petra dreams
  • and Catherine Connolly lighting the big tree in the Áras


Light, cosy Irish/queer street chat for dark January mornings.

Our beautiful producer and photgrapher www.instagram.com/_declankelly


Get involved and send us an email hello@yourinternetboyfriends.com or send us a DM on Instagram or TikTok.


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