The restoring of the NI Assembly just weeks before their 2024 live tour, allegations of historical sexual abuse against the then DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, and cast member Paddy Jenkins breaking his leg in the middle of their run. It’s no wonder Tim McGarry tells me they haven’t started writing the script for Give My Head Peace Live 2025, which starts in February.
“We like to keep it bang up to date. Last year there were definitely different challenges; but the power of Give My Head Peace is our ability to adapt,” he tells me.
“When Paddy broke his leg it was the first time we had to cancel a live show. Marty Maguire was superb stepping in as his brother, Rev Bobby Begbie, learning the script in a day,” McGarry enthuses.
While Rev Bobby Begbie won’t be joining Da, Cal, Ma, Dympna, Billy the Peeler, Pastor Begbie and Sandy the Kneebreakers barman for this year’s live show, McGarry is hopeful that he can “twist Marty’s arm” into bringing him into their Give My Head Peace Christmas special.
The satirical sitcom dates back to 1995, with its pilot TV film, Two Ceasefires and a Wedding, airing back in 1995.
The concept was created by McGarry, who plays frustrated family man and hapless would-be republican leader Da in the show, alongside Hole In The Wall Gang comrades Damon Quinn (Cal) and Michael McDowell (Billy).
“Every year we ask ourselves if we need to tour again, but the appetite and affection for these characters is still there,” adds the six-foot-four comedian, who is constantly mistaken as Da on the streets of Belfast.
“Every single day people shout out of the windows of their cars, ‘Bout ya Da’. It’s lovely and very humbling.”
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I can’t resist asking if his character’s mannerisms rubbed off on him after all these years?
“I turned 60 this year and I’m starting to feel like Da,” he laughs.
“I’m getting a bit grumpier, but I would never treat a woman like Da. I like politics, but my politics is much less extreme than Da’s.
“They are silly and larger than life characters, but there is a grain of truth in all of them. Everybody in Northern Ireland knows an Uncle Andy type character, knows a peeler who doesn’t want to do a day’s work or knows a Cal, the stupid son who has never left the house.”
Before “trying his hand” at comedy, McGarry qualified as a solicitor, working for the Fair Employment Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission.
While he hoped his career in law would make a difference to people’s lives, arguably it’s his comedy that has made a bigger difference.
“There was one ex-member of the Alliance Party who said that we probably had more influence on the peace process than the Alliance Party had. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but by making fun of the stupidity of sectarianism we captured a sense of the public’s opinion to the nonsense that was going on at the time,” he reflects.
“We had a go at the politicians and the paramilitaries and always gave the message that violence was ridiculous, unnecessary and wrong. The ridiculousness and pettiness of our disputes over flags and bonfires still deserves to have fun poked at it.”
Brought up in north Belfast, like so many others he carries the scars of the Troubles. A teenager during the hunger strikes, he was at university during the Anglo-Irish Agreement protests.
On February 13 1981, McGarry’s family was almost burned alive in their beds when their home, in Fortwilliam Park, was the target of a sectarian attack.
“There were six of us in the house, and my sister Helen nearly died as she was overcome with smoke and had collapsed,” he recalls.
“Our phone wire had been cut so we couldn’t call for help, but thankfully our cousin alerted the emergency services. It’s not until you’re hanging out the window of a burning building that you really appreciate the work of the fire service.”
Their arson attack happened on the same night as the Stardust Disaster in Dublin, in which 48 people were killed.
“Our fire quickly became a minor story. It wasn’t very pleasant, but it could have been a lot worse. We all survived, but those things do mark on you.”
McGarry praises the example his parents set in their non-sectarian attitudes and is especially proud of his father, who jumped from their second floor window that night, breaking his ankle.
“North Belfast was often at the crucible of the Troubles. He was a surgeon at the Mater Hospital and an expert in bullet wounds which was quite handy at the time. He saw a lot of the brutality and brought across to us the futility of it, which ended up with innocent people lying in operating theatres.”
We had a go at the politicians and the paramilitaries and always gave the message that violence was ridiculous, unnecessary and wrong. The ridiculousness and pettiness of our disputes over flags and bonfires still deserves to have fun poked at it
— Tim McGarry
While McGarry admits he didn’t follow in the family’s medical footsteps because he “can’t stand the sight of blood”, he truly believes “laughter is the best medicine”.
“People genuinely benefit from laughing, from enjoying themselves and forgetting the woes of the world. Miserable sods tend to bring misery wherever they go.
“If you come to our live show you are guaranteed a good night’s laugh. It’s nothing too serious - a bit of slapstick, a bit of satire, a bit of stand-up and the odd song. If you take your politics too seriously, it’s probably not the show for you.”
In December McGarry, who also hosts The Blame Game, completed his stand-up tour, Ridiculous, his first solo outings in eight years.
“I was very nervous about doing it. I started with a few small venues and once I got into it, I really, really enjoyed being up there for 70-odd minutes.
“If you’re making people laugh you’ve got a special gift. Comedy at the moment in Northern Ireland is amazing. It’s great to see a lot of young comedians such as Shane Todd, Ciaran and Micky Bartlett. It makes me proud when those lads tell you they grew up watching The Hole in the Wall Gang. It’s very gratifying.
“I’m very lucky to have great variety in my job with different types of comedy – panel, sitcom and stand-up. I just enjoy what I do and I will do it for as long as I can,” adds McGarry, who is the patron of the Northern Ireland Humanist Society.
“I’m not against Christianity, but I became an atheist a long time ago and support the humanist cause that we should enjoy the life we have. We’re very lucky to be here, and we should stop taking ourselves too seriously and just enjoy life. Comedy is part of that.”
Last year, the Give My Head podcast was launched with Tim, Damon and Michael chatting to guests from the world of comedy, culture and politics.
“We decided it was time to enter the 21st century, because everybody else in the world had a podcast.
“People are really enjoying it, which is very gratifying for us, because we really had no idea how to do a podcast. That’s why we had Shane Todd on as our first guest.
“We have had a lot of friends in the industry come in for a chat as well as politicians such as Claire Hanna and Naomi Long,” adds McGarry, who will be back on our screens at the end of the month with a new series of The Long and the Short of It, alongside historian Dr David Hume.
Give My Head Peace – Live 2025 begins on February 27 at the Riverside Theatre, Coleraine and continues across Northern Ireland, as well as Castleblayney and Dún Laoghaire, ending at Belfast’s Grand Opera House on March 29. Full schedule and tickets at Davidhullpromotions.com/event/25/give-my-head-peace
