Northern Ireland comedian and 'Derry Girls' actor Kevin McAleer bows out with last ever Belfast shows

Over two-thousand people, including fellow comedians, turned out for two shows hosted by Queen's Comedy Club in the Whitla Hall on Saturday and Sunday night, to say goodbye to the Tyrone comedian.

Fellow standup comedian and star of BBCs The Blame Game, Colin Murphy, presented Kevin with a retirement gift. Murphy, a talented artist, painted the famous 'Four Normal People' photograph that Kevin used in his earliest stand-up shows.

Kevin McAleer started his career as a comedian in the eighties, before finding fame on RTE's popular TV series Nighthawks.

His rural tales, told in his characteristic County Tyrone drawl, were a massive hit.

McAleer became popular among his peers, with Stewart Lee describing him as "the funniest standup" he's ever seen.

"In the late 80s his slide show, mainly of owls, during which he describes inaccurately a succession of bland images, reduced me to tears," he said.

In 2018, Kevin found international fame when he starred in the hit TV series Derry Girls as boring Uncle Colm.

An immediate hit with audiences, his character was given more screen time, culminating in an unforgettable face-off with Liam Neeson in the final series.

From slideshows of owls to attaining omniscience as Tyrone’s foremost guru, absurdist comedy has been at the heart of his career, gaining him a legion of fans throughout his 40-year career. And on Saturday and Sunday, fans were treated to some of his greatest hits.