Best of Dublin - Rachel Galvo

Many Dubliners have navigated the antiquated absurdities of an all-girls Catholic education – but few have articulated those experiences as authentically, and hilariously, as Rachel Galvo, in her hit one-woman show, The Shite Feminist.

Having already established herself as a hugely popular online personality – with over 2.2 million likes on TikTok – the Dublin comedian proved that her creative vision stretches far beyond a 30-second social media clip this year, with sold-out runs of her show in Dublin, London and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Now tipped as one of Ireland’s most thrilling new talents, she’s set to cap off a phenomenal 2024 with a four-night residency at the newly reopened Ambassador Theatre in Dublin, for the Christmas Special of The Shite Feminist.

“Part of me can’t imagine that these are thousands of humans buying tickets to see me,” she reflects. “It’s really, really hard to put that into perspective.”

To cope, Rachel – who relocated to London for drama school, after graduating from Trinity College Dublin with a Global Business degree in 2022 – maintains a strict “no talking about it” policy with her friends.

Rachel Galvo. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

“Because I’m still in shock, I don’t really like talking about it sometimes,” she explains. “So when I’m with friends – in the flat at night, or when we go for dinner – we just act like nothing’s happening, and talk about day-to-day stuff. Sometimes someone will be like, ‘What the hell? 1,500 tickets gone this morning?!’ And I’m just like, ‘No, that’s business! That’s not me, that’s someone else!’

“They also won’t let me get a big head,” she laughs. “They’ll take the piss out of me, which is the Irish coming out, but it’s also so important.”

From the get-go, Rachel’s fanbase has been remarkably supportive and loyal – largely, she reckons, because they’ve witnessed her rise in real-time.

“I started my online journey before all of this, over a year ago,” she recalls. “I documented my whole journey of not having money, needing a job, and not getting auditions. And I’ve documented each success too. So I think people really felt like they were living it with me. It really does feel like a special connection.”

By making that transition from social media stardom to finding success onstage – a space that’s always been significant in her life – Rachel has also felt like she’s “proving a point”.

“I’m proving that I’m able to do more than just talk at a camera for a few seconds,” she says. “I’ve grown up telling stories, and being a performer. There’d be 30 of my family and family friends sitting around on Christmas Day, and I’d be like, ‘I’ll tell you a story!’ Honestly, the story could last two hours – and everyone would have to be silent!”

The Shite Feminist, which was originally penned as part of her Master’s programme in London, finds Rachel exploring “the complexities of womanhood and feminism, through the lens of a girl who grew up in a very strict, all-girls private Catholic school – with nuns and everything,” as she explains.

“It’s about how that warped my idea of womanhood and feminism,” she resumes. “It’s all done through comedy, but there are of course moments of empowerment. People have told me that they’re laughing throughout the show, but they’re leaving with stuff to think about. That means a lot, because it was never my goal to just get up, tell a few jokes, and leave. I wanted there to be a purpose to it.”

Rachel Galvo. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Humour isn’t always the first thing that springs to mind when we think about feminism – but, as Rachel agrees, it’s an integral part of how women interact, and view the world.

“I grew up thinking feminists were these really serious, crazy banshees, who were running around naked, going ‘Free the nipple!’” she reflects. “They were demonised – especially in Ireland. It was like, ‘Ah, we don’t need feminism anymore…’ But it’s so much more complex than that.

“Around the world, we can see what’s happening right now, with women’s rights,” she continues. “So we absolutely need feminism, more than ever. The show is a more digestible way of talking about those issues – because we’re laughing about it.”

With the success of the show, and a rapidly growing audience here, Rachel now finds herself travelling from her current base in London back to Dublin “at least once a month.”

“I love Dublin so much,” she enthuses. “There’s just nowhere like it. There’s this sense of community – I feel so safe in Ireland. We’re in an isolation and loneliness epidemic right now, and I think it’s felt more strongly in London. So community is really important. “I’m honestly like, ‘Why aren’t all our friends here?’” she adds. “I mean, I get it. But we’ve all made a pact with each other – we’re moving back to Dublin, to settle down and have our babies in ten years time, or whenever that is!” And her favourite spots when she’s back home?

“Myself and my sister always go to One Kinda Folk,” she tells me.“We’d take the dog down, get our matchas there, and walk along the canal. That’s my favourite thing to do when I go back. Kaph is nice too.

“For dinner, we really love Mak,” she continues. “There’s lovely food there, and a nice family vibe. And I love Host – everywhere I love is in Ranelagh! There’s another restaurant there that my family loves and have been going to for years, The Wild Goose Grill, which is very cute.”

mak

She has fond memories of Doyle’s on College Street too, from her days at Trinity. “And Mary’s is fun,” she adds. “I was there the other day after the Trinity debate [‘This House Would Rather Be A Culchie Than A Dub’, which she joined as a special guest]. I felt like a student again – and we played Jenga!”

As for the social scene in London, she admits she spends the majority of her time with other Irish people – and she’s still learning to navigate the unique cultural differences between the Irish and the English…

“London’s like a pressure cooker,” she remarks. “Everyone has a big dream and a goal, and everyone’s rushing, or on their way somewhere. There’s no real personal connections made out on the street, or in the coffee shops. It’s quite difficult to strike up a conversation with someone. They might look at you like you’re crazy, or you’re trying to rob them…

“And there’s not a lot of sarcasm,” she continues. “It’s quite funny going on dates, because they think you’re just really aggressively taking the piss out of them, constantly – and you’re not really getting anything back!”

Host

She’s also found that audiences on either side of the Irish Sea “laugh at completely different things” in The Shite Feminist.

“For UK audiences, there’s the shock factor of the Irish Catholic schools, which they find hilarious,” she resumes. “Whereas, with Irish audiences, they can relate – so they’re like, ‘Oh my God, isn’t it so funny that we all thought this was normal?’

“The show has never been the same, ever,” she adds. “I don’t have a strict script. I adjust it depending on my location, so it was very different for the Dublin shows than it was for Edinburgh Fringe.”

Given her rapid rise – and the fact that a lot of it happened online, while she was in London – Rachel tells me she’s yet to fully immerse herself in Dublin’s comedy scene.

“I didn’t really do the comedy circuit, which is where comedians would get to know each other,” she notes. “I can’t even say I’ve met many! But I’m really looking forward to that. A few people have reached out on social media, and have been really lovely and supportive. I’d be keen to talk to some of those really experienced people, and see how they deal with it all.”

What about her favourite Dublin venues?

“I love Smock Alley Theatre,” she says. “There’s always fabulous new theatre on there. And I love The Sugar Club too. I’ve been to really good comedy nights there – and The Grayson is a fun place to get drinks before or after.”

Smock Alley Theatre

While she counts down the days until her Ambassador Theatre shows, Rachel’s already planning her next big step.

“2024 was definitely for The Shite Feminist,” she says. “But we’re now talking about script writing for TV. There’s not enough TV shows about Dublin and that Catholic school experience. I think that would be hilarious. And I do have a new show coming next year…”

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