Making his highly anticipated return to the Galway city stage on June 23rd, Ed Byrne has stepped into new comedic territory with his hit show ‘Tragedy Plus Time.’ Based on a quote attributed to Mark Twain, join Ed as he delves into recent life tragedies to test the formula and see whether humour can truly be defined as tragedy plus time. Curious to find out more? Check it out here...
No stranger to the West of Ireland stage, having played the internationally famed Galway Comedy Festival and otherwise, while we chatted, Ed fondly recounted his last visit to Galway, adding that the show had gotten such a great response from the crowd that he unintentionally proceeded without an interval due to the magnetic audience. “It was only after the show was over that I realised I hadn’t taken a break!” Will the response to his next show in Galway result in a similar manner? Well, the only way to find out is to secure your ticket via the Róisín Dubh Comedy website here and come along to see his show later this month.
For those of you unfamiliar with what has become a pre show ritual for Ed (and for his show-goers across the globe), between his sound checks and the main event itself Ed potters about in search of the best pub in the area to find a local or somewhat interesting sounding pint. For the Galway edition of the comedy rite, we did give Ed a few suggestions ourselves but because we don’t want you all to scare him off (and in the fear that he doesn’t end up going there) we currently can’t tell you what our recommendations were, so who knows where in Galway city he might show up for his #preshowpint?!
With 'Tragedy Plus Time,' fans of Ed Byrne can expect a shift from his typical style of comedic storytelling. A change that might have seemed risky for a beloved veteran of the Irish and UK comedy scene has ultimately paid off given the abundance of raving 5 star reviews Ed has left in his wake so far. Currently, Ed has wrapped up the Australia and New Zealand leg of his tour and now is in the process of introducing audiences in the UK and Ireland to his reasoning of why ‘Tragedy Plus Time’ may equal humour. With only 4 shows lined up for Ireland; in Derry, Belfast, Dublin and Galway, this is one of your only chances to see him in person this year so don't wait to book yourself the best seats in the house and see Ed's storytelling style take on a wickedly funny dark-humoured approach to the realities of life's gravest milestone.
Telling us of his upcoming show on June 23rd, as a departure from the observational comedy and social satire he is known for, Ed has flipped the conventional format of his shows to take a tragicomedy approach to recent tragic events in his life. Coming face to face with grief and loss after the death of his younger brother Paul in 2022, Ed’s new show is as much an ode to life as it is a commentary on death. Speaking on the show’s influences, Ed told us; “I’ve spoken to people who worked with Paul, [who was a comedy director] and they’ve said that his thing was; ‘you can be as emotional as you like and as serious as you like, but there has to be a joke.”
Summarising the catharsis that this show conveys, Ed adds; “Death is universal. We will all lose someone. So the best thing to do is laugh at it.”
Presented by Róisín Dubh Comedy, head over to their website at www.roisindubh.net to secure your tickets today.
All photos by Roslyn Gaunt
