Alison Spittle was a contestant in one of those comedy talent contests I hosted that we all enter when we are starting out but bear no resemblance to what real life comedy performing is like. It was called The Toilet Duck Awards, a reference to Father Ted, and had comedians go head to head doing 3 minutes each; based on audience applause one of them went through to the next round. I can't remember who won and Alison was eliminated in the first round which goes to show how pointless these competitions are. Three minutes would never be enough for Alison as she paints a hilarious picture of the struggles of feeling like an outsider growing up in Mullingar. She has an ability to make you feel empathy and laugh at the same time. She is someone who has fallen in love with the art of performing stand up as opposed to those who see it as a stepping stone to some other career. She just has to open her mouth and the stories come thick and fast.