Entering the dark side

Mentalist of the Year Keith Barry’s new show opens in Killarney tonight. David Young plays head games with the maestro

KEITH Barry breezes into the restaurant of the Brehon Hotel — like he’s readying himself for a prize fight. Shifting from foot to foot, he shakes my hand and eyeballs the room. And then almost in a singular move, he installs himself at a table. Barry’s a keen talker and eager to get stuck into sparring.

“In Dublin and Cork, it can be a case of — C’mon Barry. You gotta prove yourself,” he says. “And that’s especially so in the first 10 minutes. If not ... they’ll eat you alive. Elsewhere’s more relaxed, like in Kerry, where I open my show every year at the INEC. They’re looking to be entertained.”