Tadhg Hickey

Tadhg Hickey (born c. 1982) is an Irish polemicist, stand-up comedian, writer, and filmmaker known for his work in both television, theatre and in particular his video shorts on social media. He has gained recognition for his sketches regarding social and political commentary.

Early life and education
Hickey was born in Cork and raised in MacCurtain's Villas, Cork City, Ireland. He grew up in a working-class background, his father working in a car manufacturing plant. He was the first in his family to go to University College Cork, where he studied philosophy. In a 2023 interview he stated that, in his early adult years, he was influenced by people like Ricky Gervais, James Joyce, Kehinde Andrews, Steve Coogan, Claire Keegan, Roy Andersson and John Pilger.

Career
In addition to his work in theatre, Hickey also worked in television and film. Some of these productions, broadcast on RTÉ, included Ronanism (2015), and The School (2017).

As a writer, Hickey has written several stage plays, including GATMAN and In One Eye, Out the Other, which were performed in theatres such as the Everyman in Cork, Smock Alley in Dublin, and the Playhouse in Derry.

In 2019, he was shortlisted for a "best performer" award at the Dublin Fringe Festival. A short film, written by Hickey and titled Uisce Beatha, won the first runner-up prize at the Ford '8 Minutes' short film competition in 2012.

Personal life
Hickey has two daughters and is a supporter of Celtic F.C.. A recovering alcoholic, he has written a book about his experiences of this addiction. In a 2022 interview, he stated that he "replaced that addiction [to alcohol] with an addiction to work and social media".

In 2021, Hickey raised over EUR30,000 for Aida Palestinian Refugee Camp. Following the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war in 2023, he made multiple sketches about the "hypocrisy" of its coverage in western media and he also participated in fundraisers and a 24 hour fast organised to mark International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Hickey's activism on behalf of Palestine led him to accept an invitation to visit Iran where, in May 2024, he accepted an award at the Sobh Media Festival, and was later filmed chanting 'death to Israel' in Farsi during a pro-government demonstration in Tehran on the day of the funeral of President Ebrahim Raisi.

Hickey has also been involved in the Welsh independence campaign.