John Colleary

Galway Comedy Carnival opening gala review

Galway's becoming an increasingly important stop-off in the stand-up calendar, with top comics flocking to the annual festival on Ireland's West Coast.

Steve Bennett, Chortle, 27th October 2017

We have always known we are an island of hilarious people. And yet another bunch of comedians from these shores are about to make it big abroad, thanks to this new Comedy Lab programme tonight.

Headwreckers is the brainchild of the weird and wonderful David McSavage and it was conceived at the International Bar comedy club.

David and fellow Irish stand-ups James Goldsbury, John Colleary, Eleanor Tiernan and Declan Rooney came up with the idea of making a sketch show about a group of comedians who are making a sketch show.

It's all about the biggest losers, the worst ideas and the most embarrassing programme within a programme you will ever have seen.

McSavage is a national treasure at this stage of his comedy career here. So it's about time other people were allowed to witness the bizarre musings of McSavage for themselves.

Hopefully we'll see more of Headwreckers later in the year.

Maeve Quigley, Irish Daily Mirror, 25th August 2008

This Comedy Lab pilot brings together a motley crew of Irish stand-ups for a meta-take on the sketch show. While you've got to credit them with a new angle (we've already had YouTube-style, CGI-style and TV EPG-style this year) some of the sketches don't quite live up to the original premise.

Featuring David McSavage, James Goldsbury, John Colleary, Eleanor Tiernan and Declan Rooney, who sit around debating ideas and influencing each others' sketches mid-show. Definitely enough ideas for a series.

The Guardian, 15th August 2008