Owen O’Neill: I Could Write A Book About It
After the success of his work in progress show of the same name back in October 2025. Irish stand up comedian Owen O’Neill is returning to the ICC on 27 February with the finished product – which promises to be slicker, faster and funnier.
I Could Write A Book About It details the trials and tribulations of writing TOM JOAD AND ME a book inspired by John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath about what it was like being a teenage North of Ireland immigrant in 1970’s London, when the Irish were not as welcome as they are today.
Author Patrick McCabe has called it “a carnivalesque rockabilly narrative with a profoundly moving conclusion.”
Comedian Phil Jupitus described it as “a raw and lively tale tender and hilarious.”
Author Glen Patterson said “a gem of a book. Tom Joad and Me sings and zings. O’Neill writes like the novel is his natural home.”
Doors: 7.30pm; Starts: 8pm
Tickets: £12 / £10 (concessions)
Using video clips and music from the time, Owen will act out scenes from the book. An hilarious, honest, no-holds barred retelling of a life lived by a boy who wanted to escape from his roots, who changed his name to TOM JOAD but even when he ran to the other ends of the earth, he still could not break free from his past.
Press Reviews
“O’Neill’s writing is always riveting without being sensationalised or over dramatic. It has a smell of truth about it.” – Scotland on Sunday
“O’Neill has a secure handle on macabre humour whilst being able to weave between the banal and the ludicrous. His physical animated performance gives it an added dimension.” – British Theatre Guide
“O’Neill is a great character comic actor. Filling the stage with dozens of people from his past, who come alive in front of you.” – Toronto Sun
