Life under the big top: Ringmistress brings baby on tour after early return from maternity leave
Ringmistress Olivia Mulvaney with her son Luca, at nine weeks, at Circus Vegas in Whitehall, Dublin. Pictures: Gareth Chaney
A traditional maternity leave was never on the cards for ringmistress Olivia Mulvaney, who made the bold decision to return to the circus just one month after giving birth.
The 26-year-old performer, who took over the role from her uncle three years ago, said baby Luca, who is now eight months old, has been lapping up all the love and attention while on tour with Circus Vegas.
Olivia first came back for rehearsals ahead of the new season premiere just four weeks after becoming a mother.
However, her first time performing in front of an audience wasn’t until Luca was five weeks old.
“I started as ringmistress in 2023. My uncle — Tommy Courtney — was ringmaster before that but he got diagnosed with throat cancer, which meant he was unable to speak on the mic anymore.
"Even though I grew up with the circus I never thought that I’d be doing anything like this. When I was in school I dreaded reading aloud in class. If you meet me in person, I’m quite shy. I do have a wall up sometimes that I tend to hide behind.
She praised her uncle and mentor for giving her the confidence to become a ringmistress at just 23.
“I think it was the end of 2022 that my uncle was given two weeks to live but he’s still here and still with the circus," she said.
"He has always been an incredible showman. It makes me happy to see how proud he is of me. We never really had a close relationship when I was growing up, but him showing me the ropes and teaching me so much really brought us together.”
Returning to work has been extremely rewarding for the new mum.
"Being a ringmaster isn't just about being on the mic. It's overseeing the ring and making sure the artists are happy to work and their environment is safe to work in," she said.
"My uncle was always showing me different things and giving me little tricks backstage on how to deal with the artists. The fact that he’s proud is such a fulfilling feeling for me because he has done this his whole life.”
Olivia is embracing motherhood.
“People always warned me that having a baby is really difficult because it takes a half hour to pack everything up just to be able to leave the house," she said.
"It really didn’t faze me at all because that’s exactly what I’ve been doing this with the circus for years.
"Every week you have to pack up your life and move to another location so it’s something I’ve had to get used to anyway."
She insists the challenges so far have been very easy to overcome.
"This is our family business so I have my mum, my dad and obviously my partner David," she said.
"There are so many artists who have been here the last year or two years. They knew me when I was pregnant and were amazing then too.
"Anytime now that Luca is causing a little fuss or having a little cry and they are straight over. He’s just sleeping for the most part but they have that extra eye on him.
"In another life I might be at home on maternity leave while my partner goes working. With what I’m doing I can work but still have the baby with me.
Olivia, who has a degree in business and management from Dundalk Institute of Technology, hopes baby Luca can experience a childhood similar to her own.
“I've been around circus since I was a baby. Mum wasn’t from the circus so she always said that education first was her main priority.
"We have our own house in Drogheda and I went to a primary school and secondary school like any other child, but we’d always be at the circus at the weekends to see dad, and obviously the rest of the family as well.
"I used to always say that I was like Hannah Montana because I had the best of both worlds. Hopefully, Luca can be part of the next generation to keep the circus going.”
Olivia is taking motherhood one day at a time.
“I think at the moment it's actually easier to do things as Luca is so small and really only eating and sleeping.
"I think as he gets older, I might find it a little bit more difficult but at the moment I’m completely blessed with how good he is.
"He just lies there in the pram during the show taking it all in, so I’m very lucky in that regard.
"I’m really looking forward to introducing him to the audience as part of the show but I just haven’t had the right moment yet. It will be exciting to experience that when the time comes.”
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