Deirdre O'Kane

“Ultimately, I just decided stand-up comedy is a huge commitment, and if you want to be the best, you have to give it one hundred per cent.”

“The notion that patience is a virtue is something you don't fully appreciate until you're a parent. You need endless patience with little ones.”

“You wouldn't expect a cattle dealer to sit down at a grand piano and play it beautifully. That's my father.”

“I have no proper money to invest!”

“I'm a great lighter and lover of candles, particularly fragranced ones, as I'm kind of addicted to scent.”

“I'm a shopper but not a big money/label-y shopper. It makes me a nervous wreck.”

“Yes... I miss that everyone in Ireland tries to knock some humour out of every situation. I don't think I appreciated that. It's unique to Ireland.”

“Acting is very much an all-or-nothing job.”

“When you're independent and not attached to a major media organisation, they just look at you as if to say, 'Who are you again?'”

“I knew I wanted to be an actress from the age of 13.”

“I knew I couldn't do what Eddie Izzard does, so I just tried to write some stories that were based, or partly based, on my own experiences.”

“Most people haven't seen my dramatic work, but I did 10 years of theater before I ever became a comic. I'm just better known for comedy.”

“You worry about whether you are match-fit, coming back to the stand-up stage.”

“When I came on the scene, there was The Nualas, who were doing character comedy, but there weren't any other women doing stand-up because Michelle Read had gone more into theatre.”

“I love peppermint tea, as it's much nicer than taking anything chemical for settling your stomach.”

“I don't particularly want to work with my husband all the time, as in the living and the working thing.”

“I would have benefited a lot from proper training. I could have done with a strong wake-up call about getting jobs.”

“I don't like doing things by halves, and I realised you can't do stand-up comedy part-time.”

“My salary swings an unbelievable amount. When I had Holly, I took seven months off, so my salary was very low. It fluctuates wildly. No one pays you for the period you spend writing. I am certainly not rich.”

“Work hard, play hard, dream big, love loads, laugh as much as you can, and give back.”