Having been a call centre trainer for six years since leaving college, then a full-time wedding musician for 10 years as well as a carer, Paddy tried stand-up comedy for the first time at an open-mic night in March 2018. He quickly became a local sensation both on the stand-up circuit and further afield online creating countless viral observational and character-based sketches on his PaddyRaffComedy social media platforms, racking up millions of views and gaining 150,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube.
His unprecedented level of success on the local stand-up scene saw him become the biggest selling comedian in Northern Ireland within two years of taking to the stage selling out dozens of shows in some of NI’s most prestigious venues including the Ulster Hall.
Paddy’s latest stand-up show has sold out five nights at the SSE Arena, Belfast. He performed the first of these shows on 7th March, exactly one week shy of the two-year anniversary of his first open-mic performance. Paddy’s viral content during the pandemic saw his reputation spread further to the rest of the UK and beyond, leading to wider UK & Ireland media attention such as an Irish Times article calling him the ‘Comedy star of the Coronavirus lockdown’.
Paddy hosted BBC1’s Stand Up For Live Comedy in Belfast in September. BBC Northern Ireland commissioned him to create a 30-minute pilot sketch show during lockdown and ‘The Paddy Raff Show’ was broadcast on BBC One NI in July 2020, which nominated for a RTS Award, BBC1NI commissioned a Christmas Special in 2020 and full series aired in February 2021.
So Paddy, do you travel much?
“I used to love travelling, before we had kids (we got married in 2009) we deliberately waited a few years to save for a big holiday. I come from a working class background and growing up, we didn’t really have the money to go on foreign holidays. Until my wife and I went on honeymoon I had never been on a foreign holiday.
“We honeymooned in Hawaii and that was the furthest I had ever been. It was absolutely amazing and I would really love to go back there. The one thing that would put you off it is the flight there and back. I’m not afraid of flying, but the amount of time it takes is off putting. I’ll maybe wait until they have invented something that would teleport me there before going again! Apart from our big honeymoon trip we have also visited Tunisia which is am amazing place. It has one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world, even better preserved than the one in Rome.
“On the long haul front we would love to do Australia, but since the kids have come along we really haven’t gone too far, even thought they are great at flying. We’ve taken them to Spain and places closer, but you kind of choose how far you can fly with them in mind, so Spain would be the furthest we are going at the minute.
“We would definitely like to go a bit further if we can convince the grandparents to look after the kids for a few weeks and my wife and I would maybe go off trekking somewhere.”
Is Hawaii you favourite destination?
“I would say it is and I would love to go back to it. It’s just a whole different pace and a different way of life. The natural beauty is outstanding. I want to explore some of the other islands and island hop. We went to Wakiki and then flew to the Big Island and stayed in a resort there, but we would also like to visit Maui. There were just some lovely really lush islands that you can see from your room, so I would like to go back and maybe properly explore.”
Ever been on or would you like to go on a cruise?
“I haven’t been on a cruise yet, but I would like to go on one. I know a few friends who went on a cruise for their honeymoon and they rave about it. It’s one of those things you kind of have to do. I would like to do a nordic or fjord cruise. There’s something about exploring that way that I find amazing.”
What’s your favourite capital city in the world?
“Of all the places we have been to we have kind of only been to the outskirts or coastal areas and avoided the capitals. We have been to Honolulu, but Hawaii isn’t really a country, it’s a state. When we visited Honolulu it was the anniversary of Hawaii becoming a state of America, so there were a lot of USA celebrations going on. They also had a big luau feast. That was in held the capital and it was a huge, really amazing cultural event. That’s the one that stands out. Anywhere else we have gone we have gone coastal and not to the capital.”
Ever missed a flight?
“Yes. I’m generally not that type of person, but I have done it. I used to work at a call centre training people, and sometimes they would send you to different call centres they had around the UK. One time I was in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne working, and on the last night they convinced me to go out for a few drinks. It was all good until I had to get up for my flight the next day and the trains stopped about two stops before we got to the airport, so I had to run. A few people were giving off about the trains stopping because they missed their flights, but I was really nice about it all and they put me on the next flight available, whereas others who weren’t so nice were being told there was no space on the next flight. That’s the only one I’ve missed, but I’ve definitely had a few other near misses. It also taught me to be nice to people even if I’m stressed out. Being nasty gets you nowhere.”
What’s the one drink you always order on a flight?
“I like mixing ginger ale with stuff because it settles your stomach. Maybe not if you put a double gin in it, but gin and ginger ale would probably be the one. I do like beer, but it costs so much on a plane and its such a small amount that I just kind of opt for the spirits.”
How many countries do you want to visit in your lifetime?
“I grew up watching Billy Connolly doing his travel logs. I would like to do something like that. I know he did Australia and America so maybe Route 66 or something would be nice to do. I did a little bit of it when we went to Las Vegas, we were there for two weeks, but didn’t just stat in Las Vegas. We drove to LA and down to San Diego and back again and I really loved San Diego. Didn’t really like LA, but I just loved the idea of going east to west coast in America. If someone would pay me to do that for some sort of documentary that would be great.”
What do you think the most stressful thing about travelling is?
“Probably packing, rather than travelling itself. Travelling is no problem, long haul flights and all are dead on, but even just getting ready to come to the Slieve Donard for the weekend, we must have spent two hours just packing our bags. What if it rains? What if it’s sunny? What if it snows? What if we go out for a walk or go to the pool or gym? Packing is one of the most stressful things, especially when you’re going away for a couple of weeks. My wife lays out the suitcases in the room and for a week before your holiday you are just tripping over them and putting stuff in. It just takes up so much time. I would love to pay someone to do it for me.”
Have you been to Disney?
“I haven’t been yet, but we are definitely going to go with the kids. For me, as a kid it was never in our price range. We would never be able to go. Now we watch loads of Disney videos online with the kids, we show them the parades and the kids are just in awe of it. I don’t really mind if it’s Euro Disney or if we have to go to America, it’s just definitely something we want to do at some stage. I think as well, that it might be more for me, I’ll be the one most excited about it probably.”
What was the most interesting place you ever visited?
“We went to Krakow in Poland. It was great. We did the salt mines. It was amazing to go to a country like that and see Auschwitz, which is just a real grim thing, but one of those things that gives you a life perspective. We were only there for two or three nights, but it was so different from anywhere we have been in Europe so far. It had a good mix of different things to do and different experiences.”
What do you still have to cross off your travel bucket list?
“Probably Australia. I have friends that have gone and lived there, and with the comedy it seems I have a bit of a following of ex-pats over there. I would like to maybe kill two birds with one stone and do Australia – have a holiday and do a tour. I love the Australian outlook on life and I’m not too concerned about the bugs… but my wife is terrified of them.”
What travel tips would you give to someone who is travelling for the first time?
“For me, it’s travel light. I think that you can over think the packing and then you end up struggling through the airport. You want to be able to breeze through! If you can get away without putting your bag in the hold and you can just carry it on, it makes it so much easier being able to walk off a flight and being able to hop straight into a taxi and be where you want to be within 20 minutes rather than waiting. If you can travel without putting anything in the hold that would be my tip. Try and not have to do that.”
What is your favourite place in Northern Ireland?
“I would say the North Coast,. I have been to Ballycastle a few times, it was my wife’s favourite place to go really, and once I started going with her I really loved it. When I played in a wedding band we did the drive down the coast to Ballygally Castle and it was some of the most spectacular views I’ve ever seen in my life, and that includes anything in Hawaii. I can understand 100% why Game of Thrones wanted to come here and film, because I’ve never seen anything like that before anywhere. That stretch of road is just stunning.”
What would you never travel without, what’s essential in your suitcase?
“Ear plugs or buds, especially with kids. When you are on a flight, it’s sort of make or break what noises you are hearing and I’ve travelled with my own kids, so I know a good pair of ear plugs go a long way. It’s bad enough when it’s your own you’re dealing with, but when its other peoples it always seems even worse. The thing is though you can’t get annoyed about it, because everyone’s gone through it when travelling with kids, so the best thing is if you are able to stick in your ear plugs or buds, it’ll keep the noise out. They are handy for the hotel as well. A good night’s sleep is always dependant on what noises are going on in the hotel or outside the window. We got the ear plugs that are moulded to your ears. I think Boots can do it for you, but they fit your ear perfectly and cancel out all the noise. You just have to make sure only one of you is wearing them… so you don’t sleep through a fire alarm of something!”
