Before Deirdre O’Kane takes to the Millennium Forum stage on September 13 with her show ‘O'Kaning It,’ she explored her Derry roots and what she loves about the city.

Deirdre explained that her mother, Eileen McLaughlin, was from Grafton Terrace and that her comedic roots grew from Derry humor.

“Derry is totally where my comedy comes from," said Deirdre. “My mother and her family are the funny ones. She had five brothers and all of them were funny.”

Trying to explain Derry humour, Deirdre put it down to the fact that people of the Maiden City are great storytellers. She said: “I don’t know how to describe the Derry humour, but I think they are particularly good storytellers. My mother was a very good storyteller; she would make herself cry telling a story. In Derry, I think you are also expected to have a story to tell. I remember my mother would ask me when I came back from the town, ‘Well, do you have any yarns from the town?’ And I would say no, and she would tell me to ‘make it up, love.’ And I've been making it up ever since.

“It was as if to say, you needn't bother coming back here with no stories, that's no craic.”

The stand-up comedian stated that her act remains consistent when she tours England, Scotland, and Wales, as the Derry wit translates well everywhere.

Deidre said that the audience should expect to laugh from start to finish during her Millennium Forum show.

“I tell the story of how I met my other half and the story of the wedding, which was an absolute catastrophe from start to finish. It's taken me 20 years to be able to tell that story,” said Deirdre.

Doherty’s mince is what Deirdre looked forward to most when coming back to Derry when she was younger, she said: “My granny always had Doherty’s mince ready on arrival, which I thought was the most delicious thing on the planet, we couldn't get it at home. The smell of it and the bread and butter, it was unbelievable.”

For those thinking of getting tickets to the show, Deirdre said that “it is cheaper than a therapist.”

Tickets for Deirdre O’Kane’s show in the Millennium Forum can be found here: https://millenniumforum.co.uk/whats-on/deirdre-okane