Anne Gildea is a Dublin-based comedienne, writer and performer.
A pioneer of Irish female comedy, Anne began her career in London in the late 1980s. She was a co-founder of the hugely successful musical comedy trio The Nualas, who toured internationally for many years, playing stages from Melbourne to New York, the Royal Albert Hall to the Edinburgh Fringe, and enjoying extended runs in London, Dublin and New York. Their intricately arranged, self-penned songs and sharp, provocative commentary won them global acclaim across theatre, television and radio, including multiple BBC Radio 4 series and major international TV appearances.
As a solo performer, Anne has created and toured numerous hit stand-up shows. Most recently, How to Get the Menopause and Enjoy It toured for three years to widespread acclaim, culminating in a 35-date UK theatre tour in Autumn 2024 alongside leading menopause expert Dr Louise Newson. Anne is currently touring the second year of her follow-up show, Further Adventures in Womaning and continues to wow audiences and critics with her writing and performce.
Building on her menopause hit, Further Adventures in Womaning rockets through the changing role of women — from girdles and Housewives of the Year to ripped influencer grannies; from the Sunday Drive to the Spa Break; from diet bread to Ozempic. Via the Chiffon Scarf Test and other cultural flashpoints, Anne delivers a fast, hilarious take on the women our mothers were, the women we were told to be, and the women we became.
Anne’s television work includes - X-It Poll, X-It File and The Gerry Ryan To-Night Show. She has appeared in RTÉ documentaries The Green, Green Grass of Home and No Laughing Matter, which followed her battle with breast cancer in 2011, as well as acting roles in Father Ted (Channel 4) and Bridget & Eamon (RTÉ).
In the 2000s, Anne created and toured four stand-up shows, including Anne Gildea Goes All the Way, A Nonsense of Ireland and Me & Gildea (with Kevin Gildea). She has played major venues such as Dublin’s Vicar Street and Cork’s Marquee, headlined RTÉ’s The Liffey Laughs, appeared on The Late Late Show, and was a finalist in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year (1994).
A former Irish Mail on Sunday columnist, Anne has published two books — the comic novel Deadlines and Dickheads and the memoir I’ve Got Cancer, What’s Your Excuse, later adapted into the feature film The Bright Side.
She trained as an actress at ALRA, London, after winning a scholarship, and was born in Manchester to Irish parents before being raised on a small farm in Sligo. She can foot turf like a champion — and when she starts getting notions, her mammy is deployed.
Reviews for Recent Solo Work
How to Get the Menopause ...
“Never has the female body been put under such a hilarious microscope… utterly punk.” — Irish Independent
“Side-splittingly funny… a voice worthy of a West End musical. A cathartic night out.” — Reviews Hub
“Talented, confident and phenomenally quick-witted.” — Chortle
“Irresistibly hilarious.” — The Irish Times
“Ireland’s answer to David Sedaris.” — GCN
Further Adventures …
“Gildea brings colour and warmth centre stage. She was one of the founding members of the musical comedy trio, The Nualas. Those comic skills and more are on display as she creates a great deal of laughter and joy. It is a show that lifts the spirits.” – No More Workhorse
“a smart whistle-stop tour across five decades of Irish social history, as seen by an observant, sassy and awkward non-conformist…and it’s very funny.” - Irish Independent
The Nualas – Selected Reviews
“Must-see… wackily original.” — New York Times
“They can sing and make your face ache from laughing.” — Time Out London
“A world-class act.” — Sunday Times
“Genius.” — The Scotsman
“Feckin’ great.” — Village Voice, New York