Strabane comedian triumphs at comedy awards

STRABANE has once again proven to be the epicentre of comedic talent after two local comedians triumphed at the North West Comedy Awards.

Ronan Boyle, MC at the Boiler Room Comedy Club in the town and Comedy at the Cosh in Derry, came out on top in three categories; Best Headliner for his ‘Wee Big Tour,’ Best North West Act and Best Opener. Fellow Strabane funny man Eamon McElwee picked up third place in the Best Headliner and Best Opener categories.

Speaking this week Ronan (pictured) beamed, “I’m genuinely overwhelmed and touched to take the top spot in three categories, especially when you consider the competition; Mickey Bartlett, Paddy McLaughlin, Colin Murphy, Darren McCay, the list goes on. “I feel a wee bit embarrassed to be honest.

“To be nominated by the people who came to my shows is a vindication of my decision to try and break into the comedy scene on a full-time basis. Last year I did 98 shows, my podcast and toured ‘Orange Is the New Green’ alongside my ‘Wee Big Tour’ and all while holding down a full time job!”

Ronan believes that it wasn’t just his comedy but his social media following which has gotten him this far.

“I’ve been at this now since I turned 40, firstly with the Strabanter page before progressing onto the podcast, Boiler Room and then headlining my own shows. Comedy is a progression business; you have to build up your audience, try new things and see how they work. It’s great doing comedy on a podcast but nothing beats the laughter of a live audience in my book.”

So, what’s next for Ronan?

“I’m going ‘on the road’ so to speak,” he continued. “I’ve bagged a slot at the Edinburgh Fringe in the summer and plan to take my show across the water for a tour in Scotland and England.

“I’ll be interested to see how they take to my show, there is a possibility it might not all work, and I use a lot of local slang that maybe the English and Scottish crowd haven’t heard of, but we’ll see how it goes. I’d like to thank everyone who enjoyed my comedy in 2023 and hope to continue to make people laugh in 2024!”