Isn’t there a grand stretch in the evenings, all the same? And isn’t it warmer than it was the last time we checked?

Here’s what I’ll be up to for the next few months:

The UK theatre tour of Abigail Burdess’ new comedy All the Single Ladies (starring Leslie Ash, Brooke Kinsella and me) continues until April 21: dates and booking details are at www.allthesingleladies.eu

You can catch me popping up in RTE Radio’s Ireland’s Pictorial Boatly, and in Chris O’Dowd’s new Sky1 show, Moone Boy.

I’m making an appearance at Kinsale Arts Week – stay tuned for details.

And I’ll be returning to the cast of Molly Wobbly’s Tit Factory in a co-production between the Lyric Theatre and The Stand at the brand new, revamped Assembly Rooms for EdFringe 2012. Details here: mollywobblystitfactory.com

If there’s anything other than that, be sure I’ll let you know.

Thanks for reading. Now get outside and go for a walk. There’s a grand stretch in the evenings…or haven’t you noticed?

Sorry the blogging’s fallen by the wayside a bit. Things have been manic, what with moving back to Ireland, work, and all that. Thanks to everyone who bought the album, read the blogs and came to the shows in 2011. It’d have been rubbish without you.

Just as I land in the old sod, of course, by sod’s law, I’m off again. I’m doing a new play called All the Single Ladies. It’s by Abigail Burdess and it’s very funny – a 3-hander starring Leslie Ash, Brooke Kinsella and me. We’re touring the UK til April 20th and if you’re nearby, you can catch us at one of the dates/ places listed here. It’d be lovely to see you. (I think.)

If you’re reading this in January, I have a piece on resolutions in Irish Tatler. You could read that, if you miss me.

Meanwhile, two interesting bits of radio are knocking about. The first is an RTE pilot of What’s The Story – a new topical panel show which we’d love to develop and do more of. The second is me being an odd creature in Matt Berry’s brilliant new radio sitcom I, Regress for BBC Radio 4. (Click on the titles for more details.) Very proud to be involved in both so I hope you like ‘em!

If you don’t hear from me for a bit, I’ll either be on the road or learning lines or both. But I hope to see you along the way.

Love your work.

Tara

Just a quick update really. How are you, by the way? You’re looking well.

Today, I started writing the new songs that have been fermenting in the notebook long enough. It’s time to make them into full-on alcoholic beverages with great, foamy heads. (I’m guessing fermented things foam – I’m not great on that end of things.)

A few gigs for you to look out for while the brewing process continues:

I’ll be doing the odd show for Dublin Comedy Improv. Follow them on Twitter for lineups and stuff, but the show is every single Monday til the end of time at the International on Wicklow St. 9pm.

On November 23^rd, I’ll be hosting a show in London for the Alzheimer’s Society. It’s just for staffers, so sadly you can’t come, but I’m telling you to remind you to support them. Whenever and however you can. Thank you.

BUT on December 13^th and 14^th, Michael Legge and I will be hosting shows for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home  at Leicester Square Theatre. Amazing lineups. You should only miss these shows if you hate animals and if you hate animals, we’ll be delighted to see the back of you.

I’m also really excited to announce my first solo show in Dublin for, like, ages. It’s at the Workmans Club on Wellington Quay (beside the Clarence) on December 7^th.  Special guest is Eleanor Tiernan and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s the night before culchie shopping day and as a proud culchie, that will be one heck of a week. Please come. It’ll be the last time I perform the Big Noise songs in their entirety,before unleashing the new ones, gently, slowly and with no hurry at all upon an unsuspecting public (i.e. 3 or 4 people on iTunes).

Oh, and I’ll be on The Impressions Show every now and again, playing various ladies. (BBC 1, Wednesdays, 8.30pm.)

Other than that, I’ll be chillin’ like a villain. I love that phrase. And writing. Lots and lots of writing. If any of the above changes, I’ll keep you posted, but I hope to see you along the way.

Flynn out.

Stupidly, we moved our boxes and bags from London to Dublin just 4 days before the Fringe, so we never quite recovered from the shell shock. It meant we were constantly dizzy and very cheap dates once we got to the Fringe, though, so I guess that worked out really well.

Thanks to everyone who came to see the last shows of Big Noise in its current form, especially those who came back. And brought more people. Special thank to Peter Buckley Hill in whose Free Fringe I took part, allowing me to not lose my shirt, and punters to take a punt on someone they hadn’t seen on the telly…except in deceptive wigs.

I’m going to miss London a lot, despite also missing the riots by a short 3 days. London’s been very good to me; I got married there and it has lots of my nearest and dearest in it, so although I’m excited to spend time on the old sod again, it’s not without a mixed emotion or two. Or three. Honestly, I don’t know where I am. We’re hoping to be over and back whenever work and play require it.

If you’d like to come and hang out in the next little while, then I’ll be doing Dublin Comedy Improv on Monday Sept 6 at the International Bar on Wicklow St. After that I’ll be doing playing Popova in Chekhov’s The Bear as part of the Ranelagh Fest 2011. (I first played that part in UCC Dramat about a million years ago. Given the short rehearsal period, I wish I remembered more of the lines, but a million years will erase a few.)

Then on Sept 26, I head off for 3 weeks to work on a new musical for the Lyric in Belfast. It’s an in-concert, work-in-progress production and I’m really looking forward to it – not least as it’s been written by Paul Boyd. He’s very good, he is. And excellent craic.

So drop in to one of those. Come up. Say hi. Have a pint. We’ve earned it.

Big Noise on iTunes here or Amazon here.

Had a particularly lovely time at No Pressure to be Funny – a topical panel show and podcast run by Alistair Barrie & Nick Revell. It’s exactly what the title says: the panel (chaired by James O’Brien, him off the radio) discusses what’s in the papers and if it happens to be funny, great. But if the issue is more serious, it’s allowed the space to be debated in a more serious manner. Excellent fun and thought provoking. I demand you check it out, in live or podcast form.

This month, I’m taking a back seat from live performing to devote time to my family (or whatever media sound-bite is coolest for “I’m not doing many live shows”). But I will – as always – be doing the Improv at the Phoenix on May 25th. Follow us on Twitter @LondonImprov.

Meanwhile, the video by Chris Lincé for my song The Fog (from the film The Fog) is still closer to Funny than Die on Funny or Die. If you have a moment and haven’t yet voted, why not check it out, and give it a “funny” vote if you like it. Vote for The Fog on Funny or Die.

And of course, the Big Noise album is still on sale on iTunes & Amazon. Please buy it. Don’t make me beg.

Right, off you go. And don’t forget your Factor 20, you cheeky monkey.

T

I’m just back in London after a couple of fantastic shows of Big Noise at Rome’s Teatro l’Arciliuto. I couldn’t have been made more welcome by the audience and organisers alike. A special thanks has to go to His Excellency Patrick Hennessy, the Irish Ambassador to Italy, who took time out of his busy ambassadoring schedule to come to the show, along with his lovely wife Pauline: they were great craic and it meant a lot that they came along. Míle buíochas, a dhaoine uasail. Grazie.

But enough sincerity; time for some brass tacks. A few people have been asking where they can buy the album of the show. Well, it can be bought on iTunes here or on Amazon here. Thank you for asking.

For details of other, more London-based shows in the next few weeks, please click here.

And while I have you online, if you’d like to vote “Funny” for the video of The Fog (from the film The Fog) on Funny or Die, I’d love you forever. Unless you stole something from me, but even then, I’d still remember that you’d bought the album or voted “Funny” and I’d be quite lenient. You can watch and vote here.

Now, what are you doing reading this? Get out in the sun and have a Happy Easter…or whatever you’re having yourself.

Ciao ciao.

Tara

PS Don’t forget to check out English Theatre of Rome and the magic Teatro l’Arciliuto for upcoming events. Wish I could be there more often.

Hope you’ve been enjoying a splendid heatwave. Can you believe it’s nearly May? No? Me neither!

Here’s where I’ll be in the next while:

Live dates:

April 26th – Wendy Wason &  Friends at The Albany, Great Portland St, London.

April 27th – London Comedy Improv at the Phoenix, Cavendish Square (nr Oxford Circus Tube). 8pm. (Follow us on Twitter for details of our regular gigs.)

May 1 – London Comedy Improv at The Comedy Crawl (part of Camden Crawl). Tickets and details here.

May 3 – The Distraction Club. New night of musical comedy in London. Follow them here.

May 4 – No Pressure to be Funny. Live topical panel show and podcast from The Hob in Forest Hill. Book here.

Meanwhile, the video by Chris Lincé for my song The Fog (from the film The Fog) is still way closer to Funny than Die on Funny or Die. If you have a moment and haven’t yet voted, why not take a trip on over there, check it out, and give it a “funny” vote if you like it. Vote for The Fog on Funny or Die.

And if, after all that, you’re still missing me, the Big Noise album is, of course, still on sale on iTunes & Amazon.

Thanks a million for coming to the gigs and buying the stuff. You’re so nice.

Tara x

Here are videos of 2 songs from my show (now album) Big Noise. The Fog (from the film The Fog) is directed by the wonderful Chris Lincé and Bjork Song is live from Chortle Fast Fringe 2010. (Click on titles for clips. You can preview/ buy the album by clicking here.)

I’m putting these out there to see if you like that kind of thing. Big Noise is silly, surreal craic which you’ll either get or not; totally up to you, but rest assured that if you don’t I’ll seriously question your intelligence. I will also be led to believe you’re little or no fun to be around. But hey! That’s cool!

My favourite part of doing the show live is seeing a small percentage of people crossing their arms and snarling. “What’s the point?” their tiny, closed faces seem to plead. None! There is no point! Relax and have a laugh for yourself! I like singing about Weetabix and fog and custard bastards; some people like to hear that kind of shit. If you’re not one of them, you don’t have to come along. Really.

This year, I’m hoping to take the show back to Edinburgh, this time as part of Peter Buckley Hill’s Free Fringe. That way, the fun people can stay, but if someone who doesn’t like Weetabix and fog and stuff like that wanders in, they can cheerily fuck off; they won’t even have paid any money to get back. They will have plenty of pounds left to take their disappointed asses off to see Michael McIntyre or Roy Chubby Brown or whoever makes them happy, mainly somebody they recognise or have been told by the papers is hot. (Hawt! From America! Or the internet!) And I’ll be delighted for them.

The problem with last year’s run was that so few people saw it at all, that small percentage of non-lovers ended up very near the stage. This year, I’m hoping I won’t have to gaze upon their small-brained, misunderstanding faces and just provide a really entertaining hour for the fun-loving hipsters who also dislike Katy Melua and Dido and feel they should be schooled in the only medium they’d understand: song. Like me. I feel that about them.

Big Noise. You’ll either love it or hate it. I love it.

Bye for now.

T

Read some comments from people who did get Big Noise (and so are obviously intelligent and excellent craic) here.

You can watch it here.

Thanks to everyone who worked so hard on it on a really tiny budget. Hope I can help you up a stepladder or hold a giant fan on you someday.

Chris’s website is here. I urge you to have a look. Urge. Urge.