Kevin McGahern (born 7 November 1986) is an Irish comedian, TV presenter, writer and actor. He hosted ''

Republic of Telly ''Republic of Telly'' is a TV review and magazine programme on Irish public broadcaster, RTÉ2. Presented by comedian Kevin McGahern, the programme is intended as a satirical examination of television, mocking various Irish and British TV channe ...

'' between 2013 and 2017 and documentary series ''Kevin McGahern’s America'' in 2016.

Early life

McGahern was born in 1986 and grew up on a farm in Gowna,

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

. McGahern graduated from the

University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a public university in Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, England, located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire. Originally founded in 1827 as the Wolverham ...

in 2009 with a degree in animation. He became a stand-up comedian after working as a barman in the birthplace of Irish stand-up comedy, the International Bar. He stated in an interview that the two biggest influences on his early stand up were

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...

and

Dylan Moran Dylan William Moran ( ; born ) is an Irish comedian, writer, actor and artist. He is best known for his observational comedy, the comedy series '' Black Books'' (which he co-wrote and starred in), and his work with Simon Pegg in films such as ' ...

Career

In 2011, McGahern starred in the independent feature film ''No Party for Billy Burns'' which was written and directed by Padraig Conaty. The film also stars

Shane Connaughton Shane Connaughton (born 4 April 1941 in Kingscourt, County CavanHogan, Sinead.Shane Connaughton brings it all home to his beloved native county '' The Anglo-Celt''. 4-29-2009.) is an Irish writer and actor, probably best known as co-writer of ...

, Sonya O'Donoghue and Charlie McGuinness. In 2013, McGahern became the host of ''

'' replacing

Dermot Whelan Dermot Whelan (born 16 February 1973) is an Irish comedian, television and radio presenter and wellness expert, who has worked for both Raidió Telifís Éireann and in the commercial sector. He co-presented the ''Dermot and Dave'' show on Tod ...

. He continued to host the show until its eventual cancellation in 2017, and was the longest serving host of the show. In 2017, McGahern hosted his own documentary series ''Kevin McGahern's America'' in which he explored various aspects of life in America: gun rights, intimacy in the digital age, and whether you really can choose your family. It received positive reviews and McGahern was praised for his "low-key yet alert" interviewing style. He also acted in the award-winning

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

, ''

Redemption of a Rogue Redemption may refer to: Religion * Redemption (theology), an element of salvation to express deliverance from sin * Redemptive suffering, a Roman Catholic belief that suffering can partially remit punishment for sins if offered to Jesus * Pid ...

''. In 2021, McGahern hosted the

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

comedy panel show ''Clear History'' alongside team captains,

Joanne McNally Joanne McNally (born 7 May 1983) is an Irish stand-up comedian, writer, and actress. McNally was the co-host of '' Republic of Telly'' for RTÉ and has also appeared on '' The Late Late Show'', ''The Afternoon Show'', ''Ireland AM'', '' Two Tub ...

and Colin Murphy. The series returned in 2022 with McGahern and McNally joined by new captain Jason Byrne.

Other work

Outside of his career in stand-up and presenting, McGahern is known for his acting work. Chris Tordoff, creator of ''

Hardy Bucks ''Hardy Bucks'' is an Irish comedy series, filmed in mockumentary style and following the fictional exploits of a group of twentysomething slackers living in small-town Ireland. It started out as an online series of largely improvised scenes. ...

'', spotted McGahern during a stand-up performance one night in Dublin and offered him a cameo on his new show. McGahern's character, 'Sim Card', quickly became a regular cast member. In 2014, McGahern wrote and directed ''The Devil's Ceili'' with Philip Doherty, which went on to win two awards including best play at the All Ireland Drama Festival. The play presents the psychedelic experiences of three social climbers in a small Cavan town who are slipped

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

by the devil. McGahern has also had acting roles in many Irish comedy series including, '' Bridget & Eamon, The Doireann Project, Nowhere Fast'' and '' Finding Joy''. Between 2021 and 2022, McGahern had a recurring role as 'Michael Foley' in the

drama series, '' Smother.'' In 2021, McGahern had a two-episode guest role on the

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

musical science-fiction series, ''

Nova Jones ''Nova Jones'' is a musical science-fiction television series which airs on CBBC in the UK and RTE in Ireland, created by Helen Serafinowicz. It focuses on the adventures of the titular galactic pop singer in the year 9009, portrayed by Molly R ...

''.

Activism

McGahern often uses satire for activism. The ''Republic of Telly'' sketch "Felix Bollard: A Serious Man" lampooned anti-LGBT rights campaigners' activities during the run-up to the marriage equality referendum of 2015 in Ireland. Along with fellow Irish comedian

Tara Flynn Tara Flynn (born 1969) is an Irish actress and writer. She was a member of The Nualas. Career Flynn has written three satirical books: ''You're Grand: The Irishwoman's Secret Guide to Life'', ''Giving Out Yards: The Art of Complaint, Irish Styl ...

, he wrote and starred in a video for LGBT Noise called "Armagaydon". The video had a swell of international support. As well as speaking out in favour of marriage equality, McGahern has also campaigned in favour of a "yes" vote in the 2018 abortion referendum.

Personal life

McGahern married Siobhan Cassidy in 2018. They have two children together.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGahern, Kevin 1986 births Living people Irish male comedians 21st-century Irish male actors Irish male writers Irish television presenters Irish LGBTQ rights activists Actors from County Cavan 21st-century Irish comedians Irish sketch comedians RTÉ television presenters Broadcasters from County Cavan Alumni of the University of Wolverhampton Activists from County Cavan