SINÉAD QUINLAN is a comedian, actor, writer, toasted cheese sandwich fanatic, and a winner of RTÉ’s national stand up competition, Stand Up and Be Funny, on the Ray D’Arcy Show.
Some woman for one woman, Chortle.co.uk has already crowned her “Ireland's new queen of comedy”. Galway will see why when she plays the 2022 Galway Comedy Festival.
Having only ever done stand-up twice, Sinéad made the completely rational decision to enter Stand Up and Be Funny while eating taco fries in a diner in her native Cork.
After only seven gigs, she won the competition.
“I randomly entered a comedy competition which I ended up winning,” she told Alumni.ucc.ie “Before I knew it I was immersed in the professional comedy world…It's pretty amazing that by being brave and going for things, it ended up happening by accident.”
That win resulted in Sinéad being given a pilot with RTÉ Player. This led to her own online comedy series, Seriously, Sinéad?, which was then given a television slot on RTÉ 2. She is currently writing a second series of the show.
Other TV credits include being the ‘Roving Reporter’ on The Den alongside Ray D’Arcy, Dustin the Turkey, and Zig and Zag, and as a guest on comedy panel show, Clear History, on RTÉ 2.
Sinéad plays comedy clubs all over Ireland, winning over audiences with her brilliant, surreal descriptions of everyday life that leave the crowds in stitches.
“I can honestly say I am doing something that I love,” she said. “It keeps the motivation going, because even when you are doing something you love, it's still hard work. I also enjoy the unknown - in terms of what I could be working on in the future. Who knows what opportunities will turn up or what I could create?”
Sinéad is at the forefront of a new generation of Irish comics, catch at four separate shows at this year’s #GCF22.
Sinéad Quinlan plays a mixed bill show at Róisín Dubh (October 25 ); a lunchtime solo show in The Ruby Room at The King’s Head (October 30 ); support for Andrew Maxwell at The Loft at Seven (October 30 ); and the Festival Closing Gala at the Town Hall Theatre (October 31 ). Tickets are on sale via www.galwaycomedyfestival.ie
