Deirdre O’Kane joins Laura for a funny, honest and wide-ranging conversation about what it was really like being one of the few women in stand-up when she started out.
She talks about the early days of breaking through in a male-dominated industry, finding her own voice, the reality of long-term relationships, raising kids in the age of WhatsApp chaos, and using humour to get through tough times.
This is a brilliant mix of personal stories, cultural insight and big laughs.
00:00 — Pre-chat & setup: A warm, relaxed start as Laura and Deirdre banter about microphones, lighting, and jawlines.
04:00 — Wild beginnings: Boarding school, being part of “the bold gang,” and discovering performance through impersonating teachers and nuns.
06:00 — Acting vs. stand-up: Early love-hate relationship with stand-up and what made it so tough starting out.
08:20 — Women in comedy: Audience groans, breaking barriers, and how social media helped shift the landscape.
11:00 — Self-censorship: Why she avoided certain topics early on — and how that’s changed.
14:00 — Touring life: What it’s really like on the road as a comic, from long drives to late nights.
17:00 — Irish vs. UK audiences: How humour translates across borders and why Irish audiences are special.
20:00 — Long-term relationships: Honest reflections on discomfort, denial, and doing the work over decades together.
23:00 — Expectations in love: Balancing domestic reality with romantic ideals — and keeping individuality.
27:30 — The Magdalene Laundries bit: Taking on a taboo topic and walking a fine line between darkness and humour.
30:00 — Phone bans and stand-up: How comics protect their material from leaking online.
33:00 — Comedy as a lifeline: How stand-up kept her family afloat when her husband was ill.
36:00 — Motherhood & identity: Returning to stand-up after kids and why motherhood fuelled her next show.
43:00 — Modern motherhood rant: Emails, WhatsApp groups, class reps, and why it’s all too much.
48:00 — Quick fire: Worst gig ever, sharing the stage, favourite punchlines, and industry reflections.
53:00 — Politics & culture: A candid take on the current Irish political climate and cultural shifts.