Kevin McAleer | |
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Born | 1956 (age 67–68) Omagh, Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
Nationality | Irish [1] |
Years active | 1980s – present |
Notable works and roles |
Nighthawks Derry Girls [2] |
Kevin McAleer (born 1956) is an Irish [1] stand-up comedian. He came to prominence on the RTÉ television show Nighthawks which began broadcasting in the late 1980s. McAleer became known for his three-minute sketches [3] of surreal rustic tales told in his slow County Tyrone drawl. One critic said that McAleer "put the dead back into deadpan". [4] In 2022 he toured his one-man show entitled Why am I Here and played the part of boring Uncle Colm in Derry Girls on Channel 4. [5] In 2024 he announced his retirement from stand-up comedy, with final shows in Dublin and Belfast.
McAleer lives in Omagh, County Tyrone; he believes his comic talents blossomed in the classroom and he lived in Barcelona, Spain, for a period. [6]
In July 2009, McAleer stated that he has completed a first draft of a book about John F. Kennedy. [7] The book remains unfinished. [8] He writes in his office which is located in Omagh and cites Flann O'Brien, James Joyce, Don DeLillo, Umberto Eco and Nikolai Gogol as influences. [9]
McAleer writes occasional comic pieces for the Irish Times, responding to current events such as Brexit. [10]