My Life with Joe Gregory: Joining the circus helped me deal with grief after tragedy
Joey Gregory who ran away with the circus when he was younger, now tours with his own; Gregory's Entertainment Magic Show. Picture: Moya Nolan
While every child dreams of running away with the circus, I was one of few to follow through on their promise.
I was just a kid when my father took me to see my first big top. I don’t think there’s a child who doesn’t love the circus. However, my father instinctively knew that, for me at least, this was more than a passing phase.
We sought out circuses everywhere, sometimes travelling the length and breadth of the country just to catch a show. When I wasn’t in the front rows of the big tops, I was collecting models, circus trucks, trailers-anything at all that related to my passion.
Dad worked as an airplane technician and probably had no interest in circus, but it was important to him that I was supported. Sadly, my father passed away in 2005 when I just 13, so my mum stepped in to make sure I didn’t miss out on my favourite pastime.
Despite having five other children, mum still found time to bring me to the circus. That same year, we lost my brother, then 28, to a tragic workplace accident. Still, my mother found time to take me to the circus.
She was undoubtedly heartbroken. However, being her youngest child, she still wanted me to see the good in life. We might travel two hours for an hour-long show, but she never complained. The circus was like a comfort blanket for me.
I was so lucky because there are other children who lose parents that have neither the passion or support network to help them through those difficult days.
Over the years, the circus families got to know me very well. I was turning up all the time, which meant they knew my story. They had known my dad and obviously wanted to support me after his death. Many of them were very kind to me when I was younger and made me feel like a part of their family.
My dream when I was young was to either open my own circus or run away with one. Understandably, my mum wanted me to finish school in case I changed my mind later. The idea was to give me the chance to follow my dream while also having an education behind me.
I began my work experience at 15 with a small family circus, but it was Circus Gerbola who really gave me my start. Coming up to the age of 16 or 17, I decided that I really didn’t want to do my Leaving Cert. The team at Gerbola encouraged me to stick it out. Working with them at weekends meant I had the best of both worlds.
School was very boring for me in comparison to circus, but the teachers supported me as best they could. There was nothing much for me because a lot of the boys in my class were into football, which didn’t interest me at all.
PE was a big thing in our school but the teacher knew it didn’t appeal to me. And so he made an agreement with me - he told me that if I didn’t want to do football I could bring in my juggling clubs and diablo and practise them instead.
From that day on, I was on my unicycle juggling while my classmates played football. It gave me the chance to practise tricks and I had a good routine by the end of it.
I always participated in the end-of-year school talent show. This gave each student the chance to showcase their hidden talents. The show featured everything from dancing to rapping, but I was the only one showcasing my circus skills.
Luckily, I was never really made to feel any different and people just accepted me for who I was. I used to organise tickets for a lot of people in my class and even school teachers and their families.
All my time in school was spent looking forward to the weekend. Every day was different in Circus Gerbola. You have to be an all-rounder in the circus, so you might be selling popcorn one day and standing in for a clown the next.
Later on, I performed illusions in the ring. It was around 17 that I started learning magic tricks online and befriending other magicians who taught me all about the art.
To this day, I have never had a job that doesn’t involve circus or magic. I did attempt a nine-to-five when a painter/decorator friend asked me if I would help out. It took me a day to realise it wasn’t for me.
These days, I travel the country performing magic shows with my company, Gregory’s Entertainment.’ I’m still very good friends with Tara, who owns Circus Gerbola with her husband Mikey, and I always will be.
Circus will always be my first love and I’m extremely grateful for the start it gave me in life.
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