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The Times & The Sunday Times
The Times & The Sunday Times
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This is who I am

Alison Spittle, comedian
Kate Butler
The Sunday Times
Comedian Alison Spittle. (Fergal Phillips)
Comedian Alison Spittle. (Fergal Phillips)
Kate Butler
The Sunday Times

Westmeath-born comedian Alison Spittle has brought local landmarks, such as the statue of singer Joe Dolan in Mullingar, to the nation’s attention on the RTE show Republic of Telly.

Her Comedy Bites sketches can be seen on RTE Player until September.

Alison Spittle’s Button necklace. (Fergal Phillips)
Alison Spittle’s Button necklace. (Fergal Phillips)

Her new stand-up show, Alison Spittle Discovers Hawaii, runs at the International Bar in Dublin during the Tiger Fringe, on September 7-20. She lives in Dublin with her boyfriend Simon Mulholland, a writer.

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Pointless obsession

Alison Spittle’s Pointless boardgame. (Fergal Phillips)
Alison Spittle’s Pointless boardgame. (Fergal Phillips)

This game is based on the Pointless television game show, with which I’m obsessed. I don’t work during the day, so daytime TV is my prime time. Two years ago, I met my boyfriend and we bonded over a mutual love of Pointless. He was impressed that I recorded it in case I missed an episode. We even went to London for a live recording.

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No fixed state

Alison Spittle’s lights. (Fergal Phillips)
Alison Spittle’s lights. (Fergal Phillips)

I got these in a charity shop because I think they look pretty. One is a giraffe and the other is a dinosaur. They are broken, but it’s likely to take me a while to get them fixed. I have a box room packed with broken stuff.

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Some neck

I bought this in 2011, when I was in Edinburgh doing comedy for the first time. I entered the So You Think You’re Funny competition. I was so green. Afterwards, people told me I should have waited a few years, even though it’s for newcomers. Still, I got through to the semi-finals.

Knowing me, knowing William

Alison Spittle’s postcard. (Fergal Phillips)
Alison Spittle’s postcard. (Fergal Phillips)

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My friend William Conway painted this for me. It’s a scene from Alan Partridge, my favourite TV show. It shows Partridge’s car covered in graffiti outside the BBC Television Centre. I went to school with William in Athlone. I was born in England and we came to Ballymore, Co Westmeath, around the time I made my first holy communion.

Ride with Pride

Alison Spittle’s Bike. (Fergal Phillips)
Alison Spittle’s Bike. (Fergal Phillips)

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I decided to invest in a bike, because comedians always miss the last bus home. This is my third. The first was stolen and the second kept throwing me over the handlebars. I made this one unstealable by covering it with ribbons so it looks like a Pride float.