Broadcaster Barbara Scully brings one-woman show to Wexford Arts Centre
A familiar voice on radio, Barbara is one half of the 'So You Think You Are An Adult' slot (with Declan Buckley) every week on the Moncrieff Show on Newstalk. She published her first book, called Wise Up – Wisdom, Power, and the Older Woman in 2022, and ever since she has been on a mission to change the narrative around ageing, particularly for women. In 2023 she dipped her toe into the comedy ocean for the first time and realised she could make people laugh. She also realised that comedy was a great way to continue to deliver her message of positive ageing.
Her new show Older, Bolder, Wiser is a combination of comedy and story telling. In late 2024 she did two test shows, both of which sold out and received standing ovations. Since then, she has performed at Dalkey Comedy Festival and at the dlr Mill Theatre in Dundrum. She is now taking her show on the road and is coming to Wexford on Friday May 23 to perform at the Wexford Arts Centre.
'I am thrilled to be coming to Wexford with my own show,' Barbara says. 'I am looking forward to the audience how ageing can actually be quite delicious, especially when you realise you no longer give a damn about so many things.'
Older, Bolder, Wiser is a lively, rollercoaster journey of storytelling and stand-up comedy as Barbara muses on some of the absurdities of being a woman along with the joy of getting older. She says that once you stop paying attention to the messages about anti-ageing and other nonsense around how women should be in the world, getting older is great.
'Once you are through the menopause, you arrive at a wonderful time, full of freedoms and the opportunity to do things that you have not been able to in earlier decades. The problem is that no one tells you about it. Possibly because this is the very time when women actually step into their matriarchal power and have the ability to be all kinds of bold,' she says.
'I want everyone to leave the show having had a bellyful of laughs and feeling more positive about getting older than perhaps they were when they arrived.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Agriland
2 days ago
- Agriland
Comeraghs festival encourages all to take a walk on the wild side
The Comeraghs Wild Festival makes a vibrant return this summer, running from July 10 to 13, with a celebration of culture, nature, music and adventure across the spectacular Comeragh Mountains in Co. Waterford. With the evocative theme of 'nostalgia', the festival is set to fuse tradition, storytelling, and natural beauty, while aiming to reignite the cultural flame that runs through the county's mountains, valleys, and communities. Organisers promise four days of live performances with guided hikes, culinary delights, creative workshops, and encounters with heritage and local folklore. This year's festival aims to revive the past with a fresh spirit, as artists regroup, stories are retold, and traditions are reimagined against one of Ireland's most dramatic backdrops. Cathaoirleach of Comeragh Municipal District Cllr. Seanie Power officially launched the programme for the festival over the June Bank Holiday. At the launch, Cllr. Power said: 'The Comeraghs Wild Festival is more than an event. It's a heartfelt celebration of who we are, where we've come from, and the stories that shape us. 'This year's theme of nostalgia invites us all to reconnect with our heritage, our landscape, and one another. 'As cathaoirleach, I'm proud to launch a programme that honours tradition while embracing creativity, bringing our communities and visitors together in the breathtaking beauty of the Comeraghs.' he said. Comeraghs Wild Festival line-up Opening the festival on Thursday, July 10, playwright and performer Seamus O'Rourke will bring his one-man show 'Indigestion' to St. Brigid's Hall, Kilrossanty. This powerful piece of theatre explores the life of a man navigating loss, love and hope, bringing a mix of humour and pathos to the weekend. Friday, July 11 sees the creative children's summer camp in Crough Wood get underway with young minds meeting the 'kings and queens of the trees' through crafts, mindfulness, and forest fun. That evening, Cooney's Yard in the heart of the Comeraghs and the gateway to Mahon Falls will host the Dolan family's performance of 'Remembering Joe', a concert tribute marking 18 years since the legendary Joe Dolan's passing. On the night, the Dolans will be supported by the Wackateers, who are getting together once again for this special occasion. Saturday, July 12 will bring the festival to a crescendo, starting with an early morning hike to the Cruachán summit with Muddyboots Guides. Yoga enthusiasts will find balance with Zen in the Park in Kilmac at the Signal Box, followed by the serving of coffee and smoothie bowls. Six-year-olds Clarke Ní Chaoindealbháin, Noah Kavanagh, and Daisey McCann at the launch of the festival. Source: Patrick Browne Throughout the day, the festival will embrace traditional crafts with a felt-making workshop; history and cinema with a 'Barry Lyndon' commemorative loop walk; and the thrill of adventure with mountain biking events, surfing lessons, and a slew of family-friendly activities. In addition, children can delight in meeting Honey and Barry Bear on the Waterford Suir Valley railway. The day will draw to a close with 'Dance Neath the Comeraghs' set dancing in Rathgormack and live music from Neily O'Connor. On Sunday, July 13, the spirit of connection will continue. The day will kick off with a guided hike around the breathtaking Coumshingaun, followed by wellness workshops in Clonea Power's Scéal Nua gardens. Crough Wood will host a day-long wild wellness retreat featuring forest therapy, yoga, foraging walks, and an afternoon tea in the woods. Families will delve into some magic at Waterford Suir Valley rail station with Horgan's Magnificent Magic Show, while film lovers can revisit cinema history with a special screening of 'Barry Lyndon' in Rathgormack, where scenes of the movie were originally filmed, accompanied by commentary from film critic, John Maguire. To close the festival, Ireland's iconic Gina and The Champions will light up Dungarvan's Town Hall Theatre as part of their Live in '25 tour. With a set full of beloved hits and tributes to Dale Haze, this final performance promises a fitting end to a weekend filled with memories, music, and community.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
‘God's feet' bring a pungent odour to Tom Dunne's Newstalk studio
As a broadcaster, Tom Dunne comes across as the personification of natural good humour. In his various incarnations on Newstalk he projects an air of amused affability, whether presenting his nocturnal music programme, The Tom Dunne Show (Monday-Thursday), or discussing pop matters on The Hard Shoulder (weekdays). Tuesday, however, seems to mark a change in his demeanour. As he stands in on Seán Moncrieff's afternoon show, Dunne becomes uncharacteristically sniffy. Why is soon clear. 'We'll be talking very strong cheeses,' he says, prefacing his conversation with the cheesemonger Kevin Sheridan, who's there to discuss the apparent loss of appetite among young French people for the country's famously ripe dairy products. Dunne frames this trend as an 'existential cheesy crisis', though it also provides him with an opportunity to sample his guest's pungent wares: 'You've come armed, I see,' the host notes. Sheridan uses the unappealing term 'God's feet' to describe the aromas emanating from his more robust cheeses, and the host agrees: 'There's definitely the feet thing there.' READ MORE But if Dunne's olfactory senses are twitching, it's not in disapproval. 'Absolutely beautiful,' he declares. And while Sheridan puts the totemic French foodstuff's fall in popularity down to changing eating habits across the world – 'If you keep putting processed or bland food in front of people, that's what they're going to be used to' – he claims that, in contrast, Irish tastes are growing more adventurous, albeit from a low base. (By way of proving the latter statement, host and guest recall their childhood cheeses of choice, Calvita and EasiSingles.) Far from turning his nose up at odorous cheese, Dunne is as enthusiastic as ever: it's the only whey he knows. (Sorry.) He maintains this appealing mien throughout his guest stint on the programme, helming proceedings at a leisurely, good-natured pace that makes Moncrieff sound like a Stasi interrogator in comparison. During Wednesday's item on the introduction of height filters by the dating app Tinder, which seemingly may limit choice for shorter men or taller women, the host chuckles away as he talks to the matchmaker Sharon Kenny. 'I'll give you a list of short men while you're here,' he says. ' Bono , Tom Cruise , Mick Jagger , myself.' Even when discussing the dependably downbeat subject of children's online safety with Alex Cooney of CyberSafeKids , he eschews the apocalyptic tenor that so often accompanies such discussions in favour of a more pragmatically concerned tone. Dunne's easygoing approach shouldn't be confused with flippancy: anyone who heard him candidly reflect on his heart surgery some years ago can attest to his thoughtful side. But it's nonetheless telling that the presenter, who first made his name as the singer with the rock band Something Happens, sounds most engaged when talking about music. Speaking to Stan Erraught, who teaches at the University of Leeds, about his book on the intersection between Irish music and republicanism, Dunne sounds at his happiest, and not just because he knows his guest as a former member of the 1980s Dublin indie group The Stars of Heaven: 'If I wasn't meeting you on a stage, I was playing five-a-side football against you.' [ Rebel Notes: A timely take on republicanism and music, from The Wolfe Tones to Kneecap, via Alan Partridge Opens in new window ] The ensuing interview is casual in mood, but detailed in knowledge and insightful in observation, as Erraught assesses Kneecap , The Wolfe Tones and The Cranberries . Dunne, meanwhile, quizzes his fellow musician with rare alacrity: whatever about his nose, his ear remains attuned to music. The connection between words and music is explored on Routes (RTÉ Radio 1, Monday), as the novelist Kevin Barry looks back on the songs that have soundtracked his life and work. The Limerick -born author is the latest contributor to this occasional but quietly absorbing series (transmitted on bank-holiday Mondays), in which its presenter, Saibh Downes, invites guests to discuss the music that shaped them. Previous participants have included music-industry figures such as the writer and promoter Leagues O'Toole, but Barry – who, in Downes's description, 'lives on his own planet of sound' – is the highest-profile personality to appear on the programme, with an entertaining manner to match. He cautions that people who appear on such shows make their younger selves seem cooler than they were, before mischievously adding, 'But I was always into very cool stuff.' Sure enough, Barry's overview of his musical youth ticks the boxes of musical cred, from seeing The Smiths at the age of 14 and getting into acid house in late-1980s London to being a habitue of the cult Cork nightclub Sir Henry's in the early 1990s. It's not just an I-was-there checklist of hip references, however. As befits his literary pedigree, Barry also evokes a grimy nostalgia as recalls his life at the time. 'I used to love the parties after the clubs,' he says. 'Moves would be made in all sorts of romantic ways.' He also reveals the way music has permeated his novels, be it the rhythms of dub reggae shaping the prose of City of Bohane or the multiple allusions to lyrics by the Pixies, the alternative rock band, lurking in Night Boat to Tangier. If anyone can spot all the latter references, he adds conspiratorially, 'They're getting a special prize.' For others, however, Barry's invigorating flip through his musical back pages will be reward enough. There are more memories of the Irish music world on Sunday with Miriam (RTÉ Radio 1), when Miriam O'Callaghan talks to Eamon Carr and Jim Lockhart about the early days of the Celtic rock group Horslips. (I should mention that my uncle Barry Devlin was the band's bassist.) It's a brief item, featuring O'Callaghan at her most effervescently flattering – 'You both look so healthy' – while yielding some witty snapshots of the group in their 1970s heyday. O'Callaghan's guests recall their ad-hoc origins ('We formed the band on a corridor,' says Carr) and share memories of the late guitarist Johnny Fean, as well as musing on the postcolonial ramifications of performing rock versions of Irish airs while wearing 'Lurex and platform heels': 'Our natty gear was a bit of us saying there's nothing to apologise for here,' says Lockhart. Clearly they weren't afraid of putting people's noses out of joint. Moment of the week Having spent a lifetime interviewing politicians, Pat Kenny (Newstalk, weekdays) knows meaningless spin when he hears it, as Minister of State for Environment Alan Dillon discovers when announcing a €27 million initiative for 'transition to the circular economy'. Asked by the host to explain what this actually entails, the Minister says that 'the idea is very simple' before reciting a complicated, jargon-heavy list of vague-sounding projects, culminating in talk of a public-private partnership focused on 'innovation system change' and 'industrial collaboration around ecodesign'. It's at this point that Kenny interrupts his hapless guest. 'I don't understand a word of that, Minister. I don't understand a word,' the host says sharply, but mercifully. He's only saying what the rest of us are thinking.
Sunday World
29-05-2025
- Sunday World
Newstalk host Ciara Kelly says she 'regrets' not taking husband's surname after marrying
'I do think that if my husband had had a cooler name, I might have been slightly more tempted.' Newstalk host Ciara Kelly has said she 'regrets' not taking her husband's surname after they got married. 'I do have some regrets about having no name connection to my children,' she explained on this morning's breakfast show. 'Should they have been double-barrelled? I don't know. 'Or should I have given them Kelly as their second name? I don't know is the answer to that,' she continued. Ciara Kelly. Photo: Evan Doherty News in 90 Seconds - May 29th Kelly said if her husband had a 'cooler name' she 'might have been slightly more tempted.' 'I think there is fashion at play here; when I was young and getting married, none of my pals in college took their husbands' names. 'Most of my pals from school who didn't go to college did. 'So, there was different cohorts of people doing different things, and I think that's still true today,' she said. 'I also do think, as someone who didn't take their husband's name and I now have a different name to all four of my children, that I didn't give it enough thought. 'I didn't want to double barrel my name, I always thought that was for gits - that's what I actually thought.' Her co-host Shane Coleman said he would have been 'a little bit disappointed' if his wife had taken his surname. 'I married Ev Conroy, I didn't marry Ev Coleman,' he said. 'We get texts from people saying, 'Oh, it's really difficult travelling', it isn't. 'Or that it's 'really confusing in school', I think people are capable of differentiating. 'There's no issue.' Read more Man (20s) charged after Garda seriously injured by stolen motorbike in Finglas It comes following the publication of an Irish Times opinion piece lamenting whether or not women should change their surname after getting married. According to Pew Research Centre, 79% of women in opposite sex marriages took their husbands' surname after they wed. While just 5% of men in opposite sex marriages took their wives' surname.
