The Irish Instagram accounts providing some much-needed laughs right now

When the rest of social media feels like a hellscape, some light relief can be found on Instagram

When you’ve had a day/week/year of it, and all you want to do is sit and mindlessly scroll through social media, that pesky news can really get in the way. Who needs to be informed of more doom and gloom when you’re already living through a global pandemic?

I joke, but it is true that many mental health experts advise a designated ‘switch off’ time from the constant updates around Covid-19. Constant information, especially when much of it is less than positive, can be overwhelming, and although you may want to stay up to date, it can do your mental wellbeing more harm than good.

When you do eventually want a break from government updates and symptom trackers, I’m glad to say that Ireland’s social-media savvy have really stepped up to the mark as of late. There are so many great accounts to follow across the country if you’re in need of a laugh, from fully-fledged comedians to those who’ve mastered the art of 15-second TikTok sketches. Do your feed a favour and give these five a follow – your Sunday night fear will thank you for it.

Killian Sundermann (@killersundy)

What could be better comedic fodder than the ridiculous goings-on of our own government? Killian’s feed is full of videos explaining exactly how we’re all feeling about current restrictions – the above video is from three weeks ago, but with last night’s announcements, the flapping of papers and documents still feels pretty fresh.

Joanne McNally (@joannemcnallycomedy)

Joanne is already an established name on the Irish comedy scene, but even off stage, her Instastory updates of her going about her day are pretty hilarious. Dating, nights out, an incredible collection of gold hoops and scrunchies – Joanne is all of us, the every-Irish girl, but way funnier.

Michael Fry (@bigdirtyfry)

Honestly, @BigDirtyFry’s sketch videos have gotten me through many a dark time, and he’s one of my favourite people to follow on Twitter for pure silliness. He’s recently started grabbing the attention of the big leagues, with comedy legend Dawn French retweeting one of his videos to her 461k followers. The video was the one above, where Michael, playing his radio host-alter ego Michael Séance, chats to Frankenstein about his difficulty in finding new friends. Look, just go with it, thank me later.

Fionnuala Jones (@fionnualajay)

Apart from the absolutely killer make-up looks that she treats us to on the regular, Fionnuala’s recaps of reality TV episodes always keep me coming back for more. This year, we’ve unfortunately missed out on her Love Island wisdom, but her weekly Bake Off reviews are absolutely hilarious.

Darren Conway (@darren.conway)

Darren may just be my favourite Instagrammer on this list, and I can’t even explain why. I think it may be born of pure nostalgia, because he somehow captures the exact humour I grew up around with all my mates in school ten years ago. Whatever it is, I can’t get enough, and am regularly questioned by my boyfriend as to what’s happening when he hears me screaming with laughter at his videos. His latest Love/Hate offering really shows his acting chops too.

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