Who is Katherine Lynch? Controversial Leitrim comedian from early days in Mohill to shaking up RTÉ

From television to panto to being a self-professed gay icon, Leitrim's Katherine Lynch has seen her fair share of comedic roles throughout the years.

Katherine, 53, is the great niece of renowned poet Patrick Kavanagh who famously penned On Raglan Road in 1946, which was subsequently recorded in song by Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison and of course, Luke Kelly.

Her father Tom Lynch, a Kerry man, was also a great writer and as such, Katherine grew up surrounded by poetry and the arts, but also has strong ties to the GAA.

The Mohill native began her career in the late 90s when she was crowned Miss Alternative Ireland as the character Tampy Lilette (a satirical take on Country and Western star Tammy Wynette).

In an interview with RTÉ, Lynch said she has followed in the footsteps of many female comedians and came up through the gay scene adding, "I have been nurtured by drag queens".

Lynch went from there to hosting her own regular show called G Spot at the iconic GUBU Bar in Dublin as the character Busty Lycra before her big break on RTÉ Two in 2008 with the outrageously hilarious Katherine Lynch's Working Girls, a sketch comedy featuring some of her most beloved characters including Sheila Sheik, a woman from Tallaght who is married to an Egyptian man and expresses herself through the medium of belly-dancing. 

Katherine Lynch's Wonder Woman also aired in late 2008, a six-part series that focused on four characters including Liz Hurley, a sexually confused coach of the local ladies GAA team, which Lynch has said is one of her favourite characters to play.

This was followed by the popular An Audience with Katherine Lynch, described by critic John Boland as "an hour-long show in which Katherine Lynch's ego was allowed to run rampant in front of an audience of minor celebrities".

Two more shows followed on RTÉ including Single Ladies and Wagon's Den, co-hosted with Brian Dowling of Big Brother fame and Lynch as her character Sheila Sheik, which was a huge hit with audiences.

In the midst of her TV success, Katherine also embarked upon a sell-out nationwide stand-up tour, playing to over 25,000 people with 14 nights in Vicar Street in Dublin alone. 

In 2009, Katherine appeared on RTÉ's Celebrity Bainisteoir, which saw celebrities go head to head as coaches of Gaelic football teams across Ireland.

Lynch said her passion for her county was the reason for her decision in taking part of the show

The popular series saw Lynch manage St Patrick's Dromhair who took on Cuala (based in Dalkey in south county Dublin) managed by broadcaster and journalist George Hook.

Lynch and her team made it to the final of the series but was ultimately beaten by Glasdrumman (based in Armagh) that were managed by broadcaster Derek Davis.

Lynch has done her fair share in supporting her county, back in 2007, she walked the famous Camino Way in aid of Hospice Care and urged her fellow Leitrim natives to support the great cause.

She also appeared in Operation Transformation and Dancing with the stars.

Recently, Katherine has seen a new fan base enjoying her plethora of hilarious and sometimes crazy characters through video app TikTok.

In an interview with the Sunday World in 2022, Lynch said, "I have loads of young kids coming up to me and asking, 'Are you Katherine Lynch?' I'll ask them, 'Does your mam watch me?' and they'll say, 'No, I watch you on TikTok'."

This new found fan base is no doubt a response to Lynch's wickedly talented performance as the Evil Queen in the pantomime Snow White that opened to critical acclaim in the National Stadium in Dublin in 2022.

But as the tides turn, Lynch's outrageous characters may not be so welcome in today's cancel culture, something she has laughed of and famously said she "doesn't give a toss about."

In an interview with the Irish Mirror in 2022, Katherine said,

"I still don't give a toss. There's still great punks out there like Joanne McNally who doesn't give a toss. You always need strong women who don't give a damn about PC.

"As long as we're not being homophobic, racist and sexist, then we're grand. Not one person was ever offended or told me they were offended by anything I said or did.

"Everyone's changed a bit with the times. I think ground control major PC-ness is landing softly. We're all re-learning how to deliver.

"To get away with 'bold' humour is to bring it back on you - ridiculing others isn't on."

During the pandemic, Katherine co-hosted the popular podcast Around the World in 80 Gays, with one of her best friends and musician Brian Kennedy, that celebrated gay culture and saw guests appear weekly for candid and sometimes hilarious chats.

She has also released her own album, Settling Dust, a collaboration with Irish music legend Sharon Shannon that features a mix of original songs and Irish classics

These days Katherine lives in Kilmainham in Dublin with her partner Declan, enjoying walks by the canals and writing.

Katherine doesn't have kids but has said in the past,

"I don't have children but I love children because they bring so much joy. They are so honest and kind and mischievous - everything I fight to keep within myself.

"At my age isn't it great to feel like a child?"