12 Comments
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Chloe Hardy's avatar

Laughed out loud so many times, I can't possibly guess which bit scared your dog. Sorry, Jonn!

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Jenny Eclair's avatar

Haaaaagh bliss - the hilarity of on stage death - I got run out of london Derry in the 90s - I was too thick to know what I’d done wrong , something about my bastard child ( still with her father btw) and some tit gags

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Gráinne Maguire's avatar

Haha! I can imagine that being a tough gig to be fair to you!!!

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Catherine Cargill's avatar

I think John might have been betrayed into laughter by Gráinne’s interpretation of ‘family’. It certainly amused me.

We also owe her, if we didn’t already know how badly comedy mixes with other genres (singing priests or Other); we now know Never Do That.

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Gráinne Maguire's avatar

Comedy mixes like oil and sea live with any other live artform- we’re the worst!

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The Sophist's avatar

Ok so did Jonn scare the dog by wheezing about Gerry Adams having good timing because that was when I kicked the cat.

This is absolutely golden. Golden!

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Gráinne Maguire's avatar

Hahaha! Thank you!

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Undistorted, Radical Clarity's avatar

Nothing says closure like accidentally becoming your hometown’s most problematic act in front of Gerry Adams. You went in to dismantle the myth and somehow became part of the lore. Congratulations—you’re now canon.

Bombing in front of a singing priest is one thing. Getting smiled at by a former paramilitary leader mid-set while being disowned by your sister and banned by local press is something else entirely. That’s not a set—it’s a national allegory.

Honestly, it’s perfect. You tried to bring nuance to a gala that opened with famine theater and closed with interpretive hunger strike ballet. What were they expecting—subtlety?

Anyway, well done. Sinn Féin should issue a commemorative coin.

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Jim Hawkins's avatar

This is tremendous! I now know what noises come out of my face when I'm laughing while my jaw is dropped open in shock ...

An instant Subscribe. Thank you for sharing Gráinne with us.

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Gráinne Maguire's avatar

Thank you Jim!!

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Roya Shariat's avatar

I scared my own dog at the Tony Blair Bit! What a brilliant read.

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Sean Matthews's avatar

Well done

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