My Life with Claire Keaty: When I became pregnant we set up a circus to support our family

Claire Keaty of the Wobbly Circus says her partner hitchhiked to Cork hoping to meet her again after a chance encounter — and spotted her from the car as she walked down the road

Stilt walker Claire Keaty of the Wobbly Circus. Picture: David Creedon

With a three-foot-high tightrope and miniature performance ring, my fiancé and I might just own the tiniest circus in Ireland.

Luckily, it’s still going strong more than two decades later. I was 24 when I fell pregnant with our oldest daughter Millie and we needed to find a means to support our family. The thought of conforming to a “nine to five” existence motivated us to set up our circus with a difference.