My 2025: Aoife Dunne - "I couldn’t and still can’t believe this is my life, after so many years of abandoning my dreams"

Hero of 2025?
As it was Michael D. Higgins’ last year with us, I have to give him this title – he led this country with utmost grace and intelligence. I love how he stands his ground, even in the face of such obvious global bullies, and now he is pursuing his spoken word career – like, what an icon.

Villain of 2025?
Big Tech. I have seen online platforms become a breeding ground these days for more and more misinformation, disinformation and hate. It is disturbing the amount of accounts on social media whose sole purpose is to enrage people. I miss the times when social media stress was deciding who to give your love to on Bebo that day.

Best personal moment of 2025?
This year has been the most transformative, life-changing year of my life. I can’t believe that in two short years of comedy, I have managed to get my debut show together, and this year, I was able to start my very first tour, with my show in the iconic Ambassador Theatre being the highlight. I cried for a solid 40 minutes after I got off stage. I couldn’t and still can’t believe this is my life, after so many years of abandoning my dreams.

Best movie or TV show of 2025?
I FINALLY started watching Severance this year, it is a work of art. I find it so hard to find quality TV these days, and most on streaming platforms are so diluted of any real substance. I find there’s a laziness now in telling stories, and it all seems so one-dimensional, but Severance is nothing like that – cinematic storytelling and a brilliant way to examine the way we live now, and how we commit ourselves to such arbitrary practises, like ‘work’. I mean, what’s it even for?

Best record of 2025?
I have never waited with such bated breath like I did for Maribou State’s Hallucinating Love. Every track is sublime, psychedelic almost – I love how they are constantly pushing the boundaries of form, and yet stay true to their unique sound. Hands down one of my favourite bands of all time.

Best book 2025?
I finally read Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting, which I know came out a few years ago. The sheer size of it intimidated me for ages, but I finally tucked into it this year, and I fell madly in love with its characters. To the point where, when it ended, I missed them and the ending broke me into multiple maddening pieces. What a piece of work!

Best thing you saw online?
Catherine Connolly, our amazing new president, doing keepie uppies with some kids. What a legend!

Your hope for next year?
In terms of my own life, I am really hoping I can take Good Grief to as many places as possible. I am so rarely proud of myself, but I am so proud of this show and it seems to be really resonating with people, so I just want to share it with as many people as I can. Like, what a bloody dream it would be to keep doing what I love next year.

What tickled your funny bone?
My friend Katie Boyle’s brilliant new stand-up show, Katie v Roe v Wade, in Edinburgh.

• Aoife Dunne brings her Good Grief tour to the Town Hall Theatre, Galway on March 21 and 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin on April 19.