The University of Galway could at times be described as a magical place.
For Keith Barry, a science graduate of what was then NUI Galway, turned world-renowned hypnotist and magician, that much rings true.
Since leaving college at the tail-end of the 1990s, Keith has gone on to achieve global superstardom; from selling out shows across the globe to working on blockbuster films alongside the likes of Morgan Freeman, the Waterford native has seen and done it all.
However, before all of that, Keith was a student like any other, and as he describes, he certainly made the most of his college experience: “I was one of those people who really embraced college life, I loved every minute of it,” he says.
“I lived in Corrib Village for three of the four years, and believe it or not, I enjoyed living on campus! I would study and I obviously didn’t find college easy, but I didn’t find it too difficult. I studied but I was a partier as well.”
The late 20th century could certainly be described as a different time for Galway’s student population: a taxi journey after a night out didn’t require a mortgage, mullets were seen as a thing of the past, and nightclubs weren’t solely limited to tales of folklore.
This fact has not been lost on Keith, who fondly remembers a time when there were multiple options to get your fix of deafening music on a weekday evening: “Most of the nightclubs are gone now, aren’t they? Whereas in my day, you had a choice.
“We would go to the Warwick half of the time, which was out in Salthill, but then you also had The Post Office, The Alley, and CP’s. So, we had any amount of nightclubs we could go to. It was a nightclub culture, rather than a pub culture.”
Nevertheless, one constant of Galway has always been the vast selection of pubs on offer. Although all of the nightclubs Keith used to frequent are now closed, many of the bars remain the same.
One pub has experienced a marked makeover since his time in Galway, however, with Keith noting that the campus bar has undergone a massive overhaul: “I actually remember the first college bar, before the new one which you now have.
“The very first one, when I was in first year, was a proper run-down grotty old bar, and I actually remember that one more fondly than the new bar because it was exactly what it said on the tin. It was built for students and it was really nice to be in that relaxed environment.”
With an interest in magic that began in his early years, he had given thought to pursuing his dream career full-time but ultimately settled on a science degree at NUI Galway, a decision influenced by time spent in the county as a child.
Despite opting to pursue a degree, Keith continued to perform during his college years: “I did it a little bit, but I more kept the magic to the weekends in Waterford. I would do a couple of card tricks in the college bar. But being honest, I always knew that magic was my calling.”
It was for that very reason that Keith turned down an offer to complete a PhD to pursue a career as a magician. Initially obtaining a job as a cosmetic scientist with Oriflame in Dublin, he rose through the ranks and was working in Poland before deciding to dedicate himself to the craft he has now become synonymous with.
It wasn’t all plain sailing, with difficulties emerging in his early career: “In those days, I would do anything, kids magic, weddings, funerals. Whatever was going, I would take. It was exciting, but it was also worrying at the same time because you never knew where your next gig was going to come from.
“But that hasn’t changed to this day,” he says, “I just think what has got me through it all is my work ethic. I always say to myself ‘When all the other entertainers are asleep, I am up rehearsing and practising my magic, my speaking, and all the rest of it’”.
With an incredible list of accomplishments across a career that has spanned over three decades, it’s safe to say that Keith Barry’s worth ethic has more than stood to him.
Nevertheless, Barry has some emphatic words of advice for his younger self: “Sleep when you’re dead. The faster you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up and follow your passions”.
