Marian Keyes: ‘I didn’t know I was funny until I went to AA meetings’

"I had no idea I was funny until I was in my thirties and I started going to AA meetings," says author Marian Keyes.

"I was telling people all these awful stories and they were roaring laughing. I realised I was hilarious and thought, 'Jesus maybe I've a bit of a gift for this'," she told The Irish Times Women's Podcast 'Funny Women' episode.

During the live recording of the podcast at Twitter Dublin, she also cautioned against laughing at US President Donald Trump because it runs the risk of losing focus on his policies, which are "immensely evil and offensive".

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The Watermelon writer was joined by actor Amy Huberman, who said her father's Jewish heritage has definitely influenced her sense of humour and that her husband, former Ireland rugby player Brian O'Driscoll, makes her laugh every day, especially when he annoys her.

“I’m very stubborn and his way to break through any situation is to ask me which charity I’m collecting for with my sponsored silence,” she said.

Also on the podcast, comedian Alison Spittle spoke about the challenges faced by female stand-ups. She admitted to having walked off stage sobbing in the past, after feeling she didn't do a good job, but said she has never seen a male counterpart do the same thing, even when faced with "deafening silence and contempt" from a crowd.

She is helping other female comedians overcome the same feeling, however, as part of the Women Who Want to do Comedy group, which she described as “like Weight Watchers, except fun”.

There were no tears during three hilarious stand-up routines tonight however. Spittle had the 200-strong crowd in stitches when she took to the stage, as did fellow comedians Eleanor Tiernan and Joanne McNally who also performed.

You can hear the full "Funny Women" podcast on irishtimes.com, Soundcloud, iTunes and Stitcher.

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