Saturday with Laura O'Mahony: As a busy mam, I love to sneak into the loo to go online
Laura O'Mahony. Pic: RocToc Photography
We are up by 8am but it’s usually a slow start with cosy time on the couch where my eldest Polly, nine, will usually be playing with slime. The baby Freddie, one, likes to sleep late so my husband will get up and I’ll have an extra snooze. Alfie, seven, has taken up GAA so there is a bit of standing at the sideline of matches that I hadn’t anticipated. I don’t know if he’ll ever play for Cork but he certainly loves it. I might do a few laps of the pitch while I’m there.
It’s all about the kids — getting the toast and cereal on. As a busy mam, I love to sneak into the loo to go online and see how ticket sales are going, check the podcast numbers and check in all my favourite celebs.
We used to live in Ballycotton which is beautiful but was too remote for me. As a first time mum I was quite isolated there and social media made me feel connected, so I have a fondness for it and am reluctant to demonise it. We thought we were the living-by-the-sea, market stallholder, jam-making types but we then realised that we prefer the orangey lights of Cork city.
If I’ve a gig on a Saturday night I try to throw myself into the family stuff earlier in the day. By about 4pm I’m no use to anyone and get a bit cranky. I’ll be fretting about whether my new material’s going to work, that type of thing. Myself and my husband have realised that on a gig day I run out of steam so it’s better to get out before that happens.
We will go to the Marina Market. There is lots of space, lots of choice and you can bring the dog. We get coffee in Alchemy, the kids love Oakfire Pizza and we love Poulet Vous not least because of the amazing Abba reference.
We’ll usually visit my parents on a Saturday. We moved back to the city to be close to them and the kids adore their grandparents. Unfortunately we don’t have Shane’s parents anymore. My dad was very sick last year and had a miracle recovery so we are delighted to spend time with them.
I’ve been performing for years but I still get nervous. I want to have a gig where I’m fully flowing and everything is landing and to do that I have to get into a certain mindspace so I’ll leave the house around 3pm or 4pm. Other comedians might offer to give me a lift but I can’t waste that couple of hours on small talk. I’ve always liked driving and my own company. Before a gig, I like to sit in the car, listen back to the recording of my material and make sure I’m firing on all cylinders.
I’ll check my notes here and stand off stage saying to myself: ‘This is what you’ve always wanted so you might as well go and enjoy it!’ I’ve learned over time that I need to conserve energy, so I have to be weird and not chat to other performers before the show.
There should be nothing going through my mind on stage other than being on fire with the performance.
I often have one man in the audience who looks allergic to me, is up near the front with his arms folded, staring. I’ll usually make it my business to win them over in my head. I can usually spot people who’ll be good craic and worth chatting to and those to stay away from. I’m looking to see if the material’s landing. My stories are very personal so I can improvise as I go along. Sometimes an improvisation might end up staying in the show next time. I work my ass off to get that clap at the end.
There is no way I could go to sleep immediately as the adrenaline will be pumping. I don’t socialise after gigs, usually I’m driving and my kids will still want their toast on Sunday morning. The only exception is if I’m with Deirdre O’Kane — we might go for a little gin or a cheeky cheeseboard which is much more chic than the hot Weetabix I have when I get home.
I’m not in the habit of analysing things after a gig. I think that comes from my improv background. I’m not analytical — I don’t test and rework my material. There are enough critics in the world — I don’t need to add myself to the list.
It’s embarrassing, but I’ve become quite dependent on ASMR. I’ll listen to Ali ASMR Sleep who has a really relaxing voice. I’ll be asleep in two minutes but I might wake up later wondering why there’s a woman whispering in my bedroom.
- Laura O’Mahony is a stand-up comedian. She hosts the Red Raw podcast with Rob Heffernan. The pair will perform the podcast live as part of the Cork Podcast Festival on Saturday, March 29 at Cork Opera House. corkoperahouse.ie
