Funnyman Kevin on a roll as he returns to Galway

BY PAUL HYLAND

Kevin McGahern, host of RTÉ The Republic of Telly, is headlining the Róisín Dubh’s comedy night this Friday June 9, with supporting acts Aine Gallagher and Tom O’Mahony and MC Stephen Bennett.

A proud Cavan-man, Kevin first became known to most of us for his role as Sim Card O’Toole, in the RTÉ and YouTube series Hardy Bucks.

He studied animation in Wolverhampton University more than 10 years ago and, since then, he has gone from being the man behind the pencil to the solo figure on stage.

“It was a friend of mine who got me into comedy initially,” Kevin explains. “He was doing a few gigs in Dublin and one night he convinced me to get up on stage and that was it really.

“Being on stage is lonely, but the [comedy] scene is great. Like, we were down in Kilkenny there last week for the [Cat Laughs] festival, and it’s great craic; you get a whole weekend of free comedy,” continues Kevin.

Like most of the actors on Hardy Bucks, he reached new fame when the popular YouTube series was picked-up by RTÉ. Kevin explains how the show has changed since the early days: “When we were just doing the YouTube videos there was hardly even scripts. You just kind of had an idea and tried it. Now, with RTÉ, it’s much more professional.”

More than any other character on Hardy Bucks, Kevin has been welcomed into the RTÉ scene. Beyond his hosting job on The Republic of Telly, he has joined the weird world of Louis Theroux-esque documentary series. Last year he travelled America meeting sex workers, fascists and gun fanatics for his show Kevin McGahern’s America.

Working on both stage and screen, which does he prefer?

“I like a mixture of both really,” he says. “The stage is a lonely place and the crowd can be particular enough. When you’re working behind camera you can have a second take. There’s no second chances when you’re on stage, and sometimes you wish there would be.

“But when you’re on stage and everything works, it’s all yours. There’s no sharing. And it’s great craic. Especially when you’re in the Róisín Dubh and you can stay for a drink after with the crowd. Sometimes you might stay the whole night. Sometimes you might stay too long.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.