Entertainment

Comic Andrew Ryan admits his new standup show was inspired by his wife’s cat

COMEDIAN Andrew Ryan is preparing for a UK tour.

However, the Athlone-born star, who was raised in Co. Cork, is no stranger to Britain.

He lived in England for 16 years, having left to carve a career on the comedy circuit.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Ryan returned home to Ireland, where he now lives in Co. Down.

But this September he will be back on familiar ground as he tours his new show Honest Capacity throughout Britain and he is looking forward to getting back among the Irish community, which he says “were always good to me”.

Andrew Ryan will tour hi new show Honest Capacity across the UK form September

What can audiences expect from Honest Capacity?

A very honest show about me finally accepting my life, where I am and who I am and what my priorities are.

What themes do you explore and what inspired them?

The show is about me looking at myself more and how I behave and how I deal with my frustrations.

This show was inspired by my wife’s cat.

I never even knew the cat until it got sick, (it lived elsewhere) then we took it to the vet and my whole life changed.

You talk about being married to a Northern Irish woman, does your wife approve?

She has given me many pieces of material, and she keeps reminding me of that.

She really likes it and knows it’s all a bit of fun.

Is there anything off limits in your personal life for your comedy?

Well, I wanted to talk about some family stuff at one point, but it would affect everyone in my family and when I discussed it with them they didn’t say no, but were not overly keen.

So, I left it at that. I had to take in to account the impact on them.

Where do you find your content and how hard is it to write good jokes?

I tend to look back at situations in my life and reflect on how I handled it and see if there is anything to try and make funny.

It is hard to write jokes, but you learn a way to figure things out in your own style once you find a way that works for you then just go with it.

You previously lived in England, what brought you here and what took you back to Ireland again?

Leaving home and coming to the UK was the best thing for me. I wanted to do comedy and get into a scene and England had that.

I moved back to Ireland in the pandemic, as my girlfriend was living in Belfast. I’m now married to another woman from Belfast.

How did you find being part of the Irish community abroad?

I was here for sixteen years in total. I met so many Irish people with English accents, whose parents came over in the 60’s & 70’s and I felt a real connection with them.

I love people with English accents telling me about their hurling days when they were young.

The Irish community was always good to me. I did many gigs in the Irish centre in Manchester, Birmingham & London and always loved it.

What drew you to the world of comedy?

I’m the youngest in my family so trying to be funny as a kid was a way to get attention.

I loved it and discovered comedians and from that moment I was hooked. Prior to that I did loads of jobs, bar work, health service, call centres. I’d happily go back as it was honest work.

The new tour kicks off in September, are you looking forward to it and do you get pre-show nerves?

I’m working hard on the show. My last tour I couldn’t believe the amount of people that came and saw me.

I feel I owe people a good night if they spend money to come and see me and I’ve been working really hard on the show.

I get nervous in the months beforehand as am writing the show as I fell a real pressure as tickets have been sold before the show is written, once the show is done and I’m happy, I get nervous a few minutes before I go on, and once the first joke lands, I get into it. I deal with nerves just by accepting them and feeling them.