Humanists UK Convention 2022 will take place in Belfast over 24–26 June, meeting in person for the first time in three years. As in previous years, the Convention will begin with a comedy night on the Friday evening – and the line-up for that event is now complete, with Angela Barnes, Colin Murphy, and Eleanor Tiernan joining Northern Ireland Humanists patron Tim McGarry to kick off the weekend.
Tim McGarry is a comedian, actor, and former lawyer best known for playing the part of Da in 73 episodes of the satirical comedy Give My Head Peace, which he also co-wrote.
His other appearances include various roles in the sketch show Dry Your Eyes, as well as other projects with his comedy troupe, the Hole in the Wall Gang. A popular stand-up comedian, McGarry has been celebrated by critics for being ‘sensitive, courageous, excoriating and funny… a comedian of the people, for the people’.
He is a patron of Northern Ireland Humanists.
Angela Barnes is a stand-up comedian and comedy show panellist from Kent. In 2011 she won the BBC New Comedy Award and has since toured several solo shows, including You Can’t Take It With You, a show based on the death of her father, an atheist, and Angela’s own approach to life, which went on to be a successful Radio 4 series.
She can now be seen on Live At The Apollo, as a regular panellist on BBC Two’s Mock The Week, and heard on Radio 4’s The News Quiz, where she has followed in the footsteps of her comedy hero, former Humanists UK President, Linda Smith.
She married her husband in a humanist ceremony in September 2021, and is a patron of Humanists UK.
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Eleanor Tiernan is an Irish stand-up comedian and actor, who has performed at venues around the world, with runs at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the largest arts festival in the world.
Colin Murphy is a Belfast-based stand-up comedian, TV presenter, writer, and actor. He has been an almost permanent fixture on television screens for over two decades.
He is best known in Northern Ireland as a regular panellist on the award winning topical news comedy show The Blame Game, which has been running since 2005.
Humanists UK Convention is always a highlight of the humanist calendar – one weekend in the year to get away for for a weekend of science and politics, culture and comedy. In 2022, the Convention returns at its lowest-ever price of £99 for a general ticket – and students can attend all three days for as little as £59. Some ticket options are starting to run low, and so those interested in attending are encouraged to book now.
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For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 020 7324 3072 or 020 3675 0959.
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by 100,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.