The Sane Asylum

This week's episode features our first musician. Mick Conlon aka Violin Mick, from the String Ninjas, an instrumental duo from Belfast, joins us for a very fun episode. Along with being a fantastic musician, Mick is also a huge comedy fan and we discuss his journey from working in hospitality to becoming a full-time musician. The last year has been very difficult for musicians and we chat about how the pandemic has affected them and as well as how Mick managed to keep himself sane. We then touch on more lighter topics and find out what drives Violin Mick insane. (Note to self, never buy Mick a Rockshore) @violinmick@stringninjas

This week features one of the top comedians in the country and the one who inspired me to give it another go. We discuss a wide range of topics from the usual mental health chat, to why Sean might start putting a disclaimer on his Instagram videos, and why you should never wish yourself a happy birthday on Twitter. 

This episode features Luke McGibbon, who pretty much covers all bases on the podcast, and left me wondering why I didn't ask him sooner! Luke is a fantastic local comedian who also works full-time as a mental health counsellor. We chat about his experience working with those who are struggling with their mental health and how he manages his own. This episode is exactly what I wanted the podcast to be, some serious discussion about mental health, with a comedy element attached. Luke has a podcast with his co-host Louise Taylor called Therapy Geeks, where they aim to discuss mental health in a lighthearted and conversational way. You can check it out on YouTube and everywhere you get your podcasts. 

Hannah Reilly is one half of Ever Unique Productions, an educational theatre company committed to building young people's confidence and resilience by providing them with the opportunity to learn, nourish and create unique pieces of theatre and film. Hannah's story is quite unique, hence the name of the company! We can all learn a lot from what she has been through and who she has become, one of the strongest people I've ever met. Her outlook on life is nothing short of inspiring and if you know any young people wanting to get involved with theatre or film, I would highly recommend you get in touch. https://www.everuniqueproductions.com/ 

This week features Robert Vaughan, aka Trevor Bastard, and various other names. Robert is from London but now living in Belfast and is one of the most talented performers in the local comedy improv scene with his group Disco Division. Robert also runs a football club called Streatham Rovers, and I would highly recommend following them on all social media platforms, as they are a football team like no other. 

This episode was a little bit different from what we've done in previous episodes. When I started The Sane Asylum, the goal was to focus on mental health while touching on a variety of topics. This episode features Tim Patton, an IT Director from Carrickfergus who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. We discuss how it has affected him since his diagnosis and how humour has been one of his best coping mechanisms. This episode is a real mix of serious and light-hearted chat about a subject that affects many people as well as why a horse should have won Sport's Personality of the Year. 

Ian Thompson is one of the most consistently funny acts on the local scene and I would highly recommend going to see him as soon as you can! Rumour has it that when Ian started stand-up, he had a great head of hair, and every time he got a laugh a single hair would fall out. We chat about new hobbies, sentimentality and we find out which radio breakfast show drives him insane. 

This was such a fun episode with our first non-comedian guest! Ashleigh Boyd aka The Masquerade NI is a professional make-up artist and creative face painter from Belfast. In this episode, we discuss some of the mind-blowing looks that Ashleigh has created. We chat about what it's like having a baby during a pandemic, how important it is to keep in touch with your friends and share horror stories of working in retail. Ashleigh can be found on Instagram and Facebook - @TheMasqueradeNI

This week we had James McKegney on the podcast, and we find out what keeps him sane and what drives him insane. As always we chat about mental health and discuss deli counters, YouTube tutorials and people who complain at restaurants. James McKegney is one of the funniest comedians on the scene at the minute and definitely one to keep an eye on! For the right reasons. 

This week's episodes features probably the funniest man in the country, Micky Bartlett. One of my favourite comedians and the Deckchair half of Deckchair and Yumz. We find out why Micky is hungover (again) and what three things drive him insane. We also have a chat about how comedy can help your mental health and find out does his mum's doorbell work?