The Northern Irish comedy scene is at an all-time high and people are flocking to clubs across the country to catch a glimpse of our trademark humour.
With the likes of podcasts, TikToks and social media making comedy more accessible than ever, the spotlight is on NI and the hilarious talent we are producing.
Across the world, comedy is often seen as a male-dominated industry. With the likes of Diona Doherty and Theresa Livingstone leading the way in proving that NI women have got just as many jokes up their sleeves as their male counterparts, there is an abundance of female talent across the country.
Read more: Comedy club set to return to new Mandela Hall after five-year break
Here are some up-and-coming comedians that you should keep an eye out for when attending your next comedy club:
Claire Corrigan
Hailing from Omagh, Claire describes her style as personal, sarcastic and confessional. She runs a Comedy night in Daly’s Bar in Omagh and has performed in The Pavillion, Ha’Penny Bar Dublin and the Boiler Room, Strabane.
Her own comedy podcast 'Rural Ramblings' is available on Spotify.
Leeann Toland
Coming from the "two-county republic" of Donegal-Derry, Leeann Toland (previously known as Thran Leeann) has been on the scene for the past few years. A self-described existentialist, Leeann's comedy mostly consists of complaints with the odd bit of musical assistance.
She regularly performs at Chicken Box Comedy, Derry and all over Northern Ireland. She was also a semi-finalist in this year's 'So You Think You're Funny?' in the Gilded Balloon at the Edinburgh Fringe
Bronagh Diamond
Originally from Belfast, Bronagh Diamond has a penchant for random tangent rants. She is a self-professed "ambassador for crazy people" and was voted ‘Best Newcomer’ at Roast Battle champion.
Bronagh has performed at Stendhal festival and Empire Comedy Club and regularly performs new material at The Pavilion. She has opened for Kevin McAleer, Paddy Raff and Paddy McDonald.
Sara Jade Davidson
Bangor-born comedian Sara has been performing stand-up throughout the UK and Ireland for over 10 years. Her style is best described as aggressive feminism that focuses mainly on her own struggles with mental health and self-image.
She has written for Tight Shorts and has performed on BBC Radio Ulster. Sara Jade has performed at Lavery's Comedy Club, Pug Uglys, Sunflower Bar and many more. She Supported Shazia Mirzer at the Imagen Festival and is working on a new hour show in December 2022.
Rachel McPeake
Belfast-born comedian Rachel is fresh on the Irish Scene but has quickly made a name for herself, performing alongside the household names of Irish comedy, including William Thompson and Aaron McCann.
Showcasing her brutally honest and dark comedic style, her dry humour has seen her perform in venues such as The Pavillion, Sunflower Bar and Black Box. She has gigged both North and South of the border and will be performing at the Empire Comedy Club on 13th December 2022.
Speaking about what it means to try and break into NI's male-heavy comedy scene, Rachel McPeakeshe told Belfast Live that he hopes in the future that the industry will not care if you are male or female - only if you can make a crowd double over in laughter.
She said: "Before I started stand-up, I hadn't considered how male-dominated the comedy scene was in Northern Ireland. All I knew is that I had written a set of jokes and wanted to tell them.
"In my experience, audience members tend to underestimate female comedians when they arrive on stage, which in a way, is a bit of a secret weapon. They don't expect the crude or dark jokes from us the way they might with the male acts. We have perspectives and life experiences that men simply don't have and I think audiences appreciate that."
READ NEXT:
Grand Opera House announces Cinderella as its Christmas panto 2022
- Neil Delamere says shift in NI comedy scene is "brilliant" ahead of SSE show
Comedian and Derry Girls star Tommy Tiernan coming to Belfast this year
US director behind new Netflix movie would use NI to film again "in a heartbeat"
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
