THE CLOCK is ticking with less than two weeks to go until Ireland’s biggest comedy festival - the Vodafone Comedy Carnival - hits Galway, and it is terrific to see so many downright hilarious women making up a large part of the line-up.
Comedian, author, cultural icon and – more recently – she who agreed to be tortured on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, the great Shappi Khorsandi is a woman of many parts.
Shappi established herself as one of the UK’s finest comedians in 2006 with her sell out Edinburgh show, Asylum Speaker. It led to the publication of her bestselling childhood memoir, A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English, recalling how her family were forced to flee Iran and gain asylum in Britain. She has since appeared on Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, and QI. She has received an honorary doctorate from Winchester University for her contribution to the arts and recently received the prestigious James Joyce Award from Dublin University.
'Sally-Anne Hayward combines the things you should not like about your best friend's mum, with the sensibilities of Jack the Ripper'
Award-winning comedian Jayde Adams is an uncut gem; a force of nature; dangerous and unafraid; the future. It’s safe to say that when Dawn French calls her “the third funniest woman in the world. Fact.” Later this month, Galway will see why. Check out our interview with Jayde at www.advertiser.ie/galway/entertainment/interviews
Jo Caulfield has written for Joan Rivers and Ant & Dec. The Observer called her “one of the finest female comics at work”. She has appeared on Have I Got News For You or Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow. This month is Galway's chance to see her live.
Enya Martin's Giz a Laugh Facebook page boasts more than 60 million views, and in recent years the Dubliner has successfully transitioned from writing and creating online videos to knocking them dead on the stand-up circuit. See her new show, Would Ya Be Able? at the Comedy Carnival this month.
The DirtBirds, Sinead Culbert and Sue Collins, are the queens of sketch comedy. If making the school lunches, doing the jaysus homework, and dodging the guards because your NCT is out by two years, is sending you over the edge, you are not alone. The DirtBirds navigate these strains of modern life in a way that lessens the stress and heightens the humour of it all.
Sharon Mannion is best known as Concepta in RTÉ's hit comedy, Bridget & Eamon, and was the roving news reporter on Republic of Telly. She recently toured nationwide with her self-penned one-woman show The Curse Of The Button Accordion. She also performs improvised comedy with The Dublin Comedy Improv, at the International Bar, Dublin.
Sally-Anne Hayward combines the things you should not like about your best friend's mum, with the sensibilities of Jack the Ripper. An accomplished radio presenter with stage and TV acting credentials (Absolutely Fabulous and warm-up for Deal or No Deal ), her confident persona and quick wit have rapidly made her a much sought-after comedian, and she is a regular compere at the Glastonbury Festival.
Ashley Storrie, winner of The Sunday Times’ The Best Of Edinburgh 2018 award, is best known for her Harry Potter parody #tanyapotter, which went viral last Halloween and is currently at +22 million views. She has since been commissioned by BBC Scotland to create online content for its Short Stuff strand, and producing viral hits such as, If The Handmaid’s Tale was Scottish and If Game of Thrones Was Scottish.
Vodafone Comedy Carnival runs from Tuesday October 22 to Monday 28. For more information and tickets see vodafonecomedycarnival.com
