Comedian Tommy Tiernan has banned the use of mobile phones by audience members at his shows, with those in attendance required to lock them up prior to the gig starting.
The TV show host and veteran comedian has made Irish showbiz history by becoming the first performer to make the move as he opened up about changes he's noticed in the audience.
During his most recent run of shows at Vicar Street in Dublin the audience were handed Yondr phone pouches, a patented system that guarantees performers a phone-free environment.
READ MORE: Heartbreaking tributes paid to Irish soldier killed in horror skydive accident in Spain
Prior to the show, your phone will be placed into a pouch and locked, however, once the gig is complete, a Yondr staff member will unlock the pouch for you.
Although many club nights throughout Ireland have a no-phone policy on dancefloors already, Tiernan appears to be the first mainstream big act to implement this system for fans.
Speaking about the recent decision on The Tommy, Hector & Laurita Podcast, Tiernan referred to his most recent gigs as a “fantastic” experience after phones were banned and revealed that he had considered the move for a while.
“Yondr is a thing where people go to gigs, and they put their phone in a bag. I’m the first Irish act to do it,” he said on the podcast.
“I did it last night and it was fantastic. What happens is, say Vicar Street there was 1,100 people there, so we have somewhere between 1,100 and 1,300 bags and it’s a patented thing.
“People are notified beforehand to say this is going to be in operation and the reason for it is to give everybody a better experience and you’ll pay more attention to the show when you don’t have access to your phone.
"We had to contact America because they have it copyrighted, it’s a soft pouch that your phone fits into that closes shut and the only people that can open it are the Yondr staff; it's expensive.
“You go in and there are staff there, so we hired extra staff, we’ve to pay for the bags, it’s not cheap. And you put your phone into this thing and there’s a magnetic thing that shuts and only the staff can open it.
“So, you go into the bar in Vicar Street, and you put your phone into this device, it snaps shut, you carry it around with you but you’ve no access to your phone until after the gig.
“So, nobody was on their phone last night at the show and it was incredible, just the focus.”
READ NEXT:
'We got off lightly' - Thugs jailed over Keane Mulready-Woods laugh at court
Tommy Tiernan viewers say same thing as Roz Purcell tackles difficult questions
Five lesser-known social welfare payments that parents can claim in February
Irish influencer Charleen Murphy 'viciously' attacked in Dublin, court hears
Irish man enters Love Island in Casa Amor twist as he dishes dirt on famous pal
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
