I am pleased to announce I am writing a book. Of essays, personal and funny essays. It’s the best idea I’ve ever had and, I’m really enjoying it. It’s even better than remembering to toast pecan nuts before eating them. I signed with Hachette Ireland about a month ago and just this week have learned the correct way to pronounce Hachette. My deadline is in June and the book will be out in maybe around October. The Fall, as they say in America and Canada and Roscommon.  I am trying not to freak out and I am trying to get into and stay in a routine for the first time ever instead of being all ‘sunglasses and advil, last night was mad real’. I have yet to settle on a title. One of my sisters suggested ‘Maeve Higgins:Boning My Way To The Top, My Story’ but I like the title ‘Just Joe’ or else something referencing a poverty stricken childhood. Now, ready yourselves, I am about to say something annoying…here it comes…one of my least favourite expressions! WATCH THIS SPACE. (sorry) Here’s a photo of my notes so far.

In October, in a small room over the International Bar in Dublin, I
recorded my first stand-up album. It’s called Maeve Higgins Can’t Stop
Doing Comedy and captures a great hour of fun and banter ­with the lovely crowd who were there that evening. It’s a snapshot
into where I am, comedy wise  and my first release since
Fancy Vittles. There is no crooning, singing or humming on the album, just jokes and over-sharing, Higgins style.

You can download the album on itunes

OR see the side of this page and buyone right here. If you do so…

I will sign the album!

And wrap that baby up!

Then I will send it to you at once!

The cover! Featuring Lilly and the Boston Cream Cake our Great-grandmother used to make.

My sister Lilly has written a baking book, it’s called MakeBakeLove and you can buy it right here. Boy does she bring the cake. She brings it so bad, owwww! Let me tell you, oooh Momma, nobody be fooled into thinking they can bring it like Lilly Higgins and how she brings cake. As a lot of you know, Lilly has been writing about the food she makes for a few years now, on her blog Stuff I Make, Bake and Love. then Gill and Macmillan spotted it and cajoled her into doing a book.

Bake well? I'll say!

I did the foreword in exchange for being a tester for her recipes. I win, every time! My favourite things about the book are the photos and the clear, friendly way Lilly writes. (As  you know, she is unclear and unfriendly in real life. A real battleaxe, with a lisp).  Anyway,  my favourite recipes in book are the seed soda bread and the cream buns, look at them below and you’ll almost taste the dream. There is also an incredible recipe for a chocolate peanut butter cake on pg 12 that I urge you to make, for your own sake. Happy Baking!

MakeBakeLove has been nominated at the Irish Book Awards for ‘The International Education Services Best Irish-Published Book of the Year’  Catchy, I know! If you love Ireland and cakes, it’s your duty to vote for it, please? Just click on here. Thanks!

Cream bun (pg.74) I'm getting a tattoo of this.

Hi all! I meant to tall you about this before it was on but it started on sunday. There are six shows though, and they’ll all be  available online afterwards thanks to the wizards in Today FM. The first show features one of Ireland’s best loved and most talked about comedians, Tommy Tiernan. He talks about his love of Sonny Rollins, jazz and the improvisation therein, how it feels to be outspoken from time to time and badly done Irish ballads from his childhood.

My interview with Tommy was fun and interesting.  Get the podcast right here!

The following is some information about Amusing Notes and why I made it. Strap in!

Maeve Higgins, no stranger to radio after years of a regular spot with Ray D’arcy and the gang in Today FM every week, produces and hosts ‘Amusing Notes’ – a brand new series exploring the link between stand up comedy and music. Each show will see her discuss music with some of Ireland’s best comedians, hugely popular ones like PJ Gallagher and Ardal O’Hanlon, as well as exciting new names , like Fred Cook and, from across the water, Josie Long.

Here’s what Maeve has to say about Amusing Notes.

“I am a stand up comedian but I often wish I was a musician. It’s the same with a lot of comedians I know, most of us love music – it’s all we talk about on the road and backstage at gigs. Music inspires many of us in our writing and performances. Personally, I love soul singers and the way they tell their stories from the heart without being self conscious, I aspire to be as honest as those musicians in my stand up, but don’t always get there. Each programme in the series will have three objectives, as a fellow comedian I will talk to the guest about their standup and writing, then about the music they love and finally the link between that music and their work.”

See guys, I wrote that last bit out for the press release and it seems really dry but the guests make it good! They are listed below. I am much obliged to them for taking part and they are all my favourites.

Amusing Notes airs on Today FM every Sunday evening at 7pm, beginning with Tommy Tiernan on Sunday 23rd October.

Guest Schedule

• OCT 23 – Tommy Tiernan
• OCT 20 – Ardal O’Hanlon
• NOV 6 – Josie Long
• NOV 13 – PJ Gallagher
• NOV 20 – Fred Cooke
• NOV 27 – David O’Doherty

I’m really looking forward to supporting Fred the band next week in Galway. I think they’re great! I don’t know them personally though (alert:name-dropping ahead) one of them went to Irish college with my friend Barry. Their new album is called ‘Leaving My Empire’ and this is my favourite song from their last album ‘Go God Go.’ It’s called Good One and it is, so have a listen!

The whole gang at the end of a brilliant day!

Techically this was not a comedy show, but we had laughed a LOT making it and also watching it back. The premise of the series ‘Two For the Road’ is that a celebrity (ah, that’s me – I’m basically Ireland’s answer to Jennifer Love Hewitt fyi) and a disabled person go on an adventure, and reach some mutual understanding along the way. So I went off to Rancho las Cascades with Sinead Kane, a visually impaired solicitor from Cork.

Maeve and her hero, Calypso.

I loved Mexico, the people were so kind to us with our no-Spanish and our clumsiness on the horses, the place is also incredibly beautiful. I really loved horseriding too, even when I couldn’t see anything (part of the challenge was to take on Sinead’s visual impairment) I trusted my horse Calypso absolutely. He was so brave and good!

I’m so glad to have met Sinead and grateful to her and Yellow Asylum Films for having experienced, even just in a small way, what it’s like to be visually impaired. Find out more about Sinead here. If you’re in Ireland you can watch the episode for the next few weeks here

Umbrella, babies and furniture inedible, everything else - delicious.

I did this UK panel type show a couple of times, and it was really good fun. One of the episodes was broadcast last night. It isn’t a panel show where everyone yells over the girl and takes a drink from a mug when they’ve said something, anything, it’s just relaxed and silly – huzzah! I made this cake to show them, it’s from the Australian Womens Weekly Kids Birthday Cake Book. I got the tiny stuff in the Doll’s Store in Dublin. Chris Addison was very nice (on set at least, I heard a lot of screaming and some vases smashing when he was having his manicure in his dressing room) and Nick and Elis are funny and sound. Watch it on 4oD here

Everyone’s always hatin’ on me for not telling them what’s going on and forgetting to list my gigs/adventures and I agree, I am a terrible one for the old silences. NO MORE. I’ll be sending out a newsletter on the first of every month. I’ve already written the october one, but won’t send it in case something major happens this week. I’m like a proper newshound. The mailing list shall  contain my work related news and various thoughts. So, please do sign up if you want to hear these things. You can do so on the side or the top of this page, see? Thanks! Maeve

Maeve Higgins: Ready For This?
Maeve Higgins (me) presents ‘Ready For This?’ – a night of fun with brilliant comedy, a special guest, a couple of baking tips and maybe even some signature cat material!!
Can you wait?
Before you answer that – Shhh! [Maeve puts hand over reader’s mouth.] You’ll have to! [She removes hand.]
Also, you’ll need to get tickets. After that, I’ll take care of things – it’ll be amazing.
See you soon!

‘Higgins is rarer than a blessing of unicorns … she is original and relatively calm, her observations are pithy, her wit delicate, her persona oddly alluring and deftly honest.’ The Irish Times

Here are some dates I have left on my tour! Support is mainly by the brilliant Rhob Cunningham and the wonderful Alan Bennett.

MARCH

Sat 19th, a short spot at this Amnesty International show, it’ll be brilliant http://www.vicarstreet.com/component/eventlist/details/8700-amnesty-internationa-present-stop-youre-killing-me.html

Thu 24 – The Set, Kilkenny   http://www.set.ie/events-guide/events/maeve-higgins

Fri 25 – Riverbank, Newbridge  http://www.riverbank.ie/shows/maeve-higgins

Thu 31 – DeBarras, Clonakilty – tickets at the bar, pretty cool no? +353 (0)23 8833381

APRIL

 Thu 7 – Brennan’s Lane, Ballina  http://www.brennanslane.ie/content/gigs/

Fri 8 – Belmullet  , the Gateway Leisureplex 09720002

Fri 15 – Whelan’s, Dublin  http://www.whelanslive.com/index.php/archives/709
Fri 29 – Iontas, Castleblayney  http://www.iontascastleblayney.ie/Arts-and-Theatre/Ticket-Sales?start=10

MAY
Thu 5  – Glor, Ennis  http://www.glor.ie/What’s%20On/Comedy_MaeveHiggins2011.htm

Fri 6 – Mermaid, Bray http://mermaid.ticketsolve.com/shows/126512240/events

Fri 13 – Draiocht, Blanchardstown  http://www.draiocht.ie/events/maeve_higgins1/

Maeve Higgins - Personal Best

Maeve is going to Edinburgh again this year and has a brand new show called Personal Best.

Now Maeve doesn’t say things like this lightly but… she has a really funny and good show this year, plus she loves watching other great shows, so the festival is really playing into her hands. Huzzah!

This will be Maeve’s 4th Fringe and she’s thrilled to be in the lovingly battered old dream castle that is ‘The Gilded Balloon” where you’ll find her in the Billiard Room.

Buy Tickets from EdFringe.com or from Gilded Balloon

Time: 4.30pm (1hr)

Venue: Gilded Balloon > Billiard Room

Dates: 4th – 30th August (not Mon 16th)