Looking for a great comedy gig to attend? James Falconer has just the ticket – and this one’s for a good cause…
On Wednesday 6 March there will be a great night of comedy at the Róisín Dubh. The event is a fundraiser for Headway Ireland.
Imagine if you fell and banged your head, or were involved in a road traffic accident. What if you were assaulted or a loved one suffered a stroke or a haemorrhage? These are the most common contributors to Brain Injury. Funding for services, which provide people with rehabilitation from these often traumatic occurrences, is becoming scarcer.
Each injury is unique, which means that symptoms can vary widely according to the extent and location of the damage to brain tissue. Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is referred to as ‘the hidden disability’ because its long term problems are often in the areas of thinking and behaviour and are not as easy to see and recognise as many physical disabilities.
It is estimated that there are up to 30,000 people living in Ireland between the ages of 16-65 with long term problems following brain injury. Brain injury is the foremost cause of death and disability in young people. Those that are between 15-29 years of age are three times more likely to sustain a brain injury than any other group.
What are the consequences of brain injury?
The extent of some changes may only become apparent as time progresses. Often a person with an injury to the brain can fall unconscious for a period of time. Moreover, understanding which categories any particular behaviour falls into will need the help of a professional, such as a neuropsychologist to make an assessment.Following a brain injury, many changes occur that may be either temporary or permanent. Each person is unique, and the changes depend upon the type, severity and location of injury as well as the person’s pre-injury personality and abilities.
Remember that dealing with challenging behaviour can be a very difficult experience for anyone, and it is important to seek support for yourself when you need it. Headway not only provides the necessary services for the patient, but also provides education, groups and counselling for family members. All these support services need funding; what better way to raise money than to have a laugh.
Tom Stade is a 29 year old comedian from suburban Canada. He’s coming to Galway to share his renowned magnetic stage presence. What makes crowds love him so much is the innocence that lurks behind his devilish smirk.
Tom is a stand up version of Voltaire’s naive optimist, Candide. He is a happy camper living in a world where happy people hang out and party. The unaffected simplicity of his outlook makes him shine.
Since Tom arrived in the Scotland, the Canadian émigré has steadily earned a reputation as one of the most original and exciting stand-up talents around. He instantly made a splash on the UK and Irish circuit with his irrepressible charm and first-class story-telling, and after years topping the bill and playing at international comedy festivals around the globe, he is now established as a leading touring act in his own right. Tom Stade is well on the road to becoming a household name.
Trevor Browne became a comic almost unbeknownst to himself while he was traveling around Australia and saw an ad for a comedy competition in Sydney. He just decided to chance his arm, was given a gig and then realised
he had nothing written. He spent the week writing and rehearsing and on the night of competition remembers going into the toilet staring at himself in the mirror thinking; “what the hell are you doing here; you’re not even funny, quick, run, run”.
Trevor did one more gig in Australia and as soon as he got back to Ireland, he started booking gigs. After 6 months he dropped his act and wrote a character for himself, an alter ego; Trevor Browne, the egotistical, misogynistic world famous singer-songwriter and since then, he hasn’t looked back.
Karl Spain is one of Ireland’s best young comedians and in his short career he has already achieved an awful lot. He burst onto the scene in 2000 by winning a newcomer competition on RTE and has since maintained a high standard of comedy.
Karl is probably best known in Ireland for his TV series, Karl Spain Wants A Woman, which was a huge success in that he not only got huge ratings but he also found himself a woman! In 2009, he filmed Karl Spain Wants to Rock, but didn’t find a woman in that show. Apart from his own series, he has also performed stand up on television all over the world – the U.S, the Middle East, Australia, and even as far away as England. He regularly does corporate gigs and spends all his money on sweets and comics. He has performed at every Kilkenny Cat Laughs Festival since 2002.
It’s going to be a cracking show. Only proceeds from tickets bought from James Falconer will go towards the charity. Please contact James on artsentertainment.sined@gmail.com or on 0871354427 for tickets – €12.50 – doors open 9pm.
