Comedian Jason Byrne on how therapy is helping him deal with grief, split from wife and loss of work throughout pandemic

Jason Byrne lifted the lid on how therapy is helping him come to terms with the death of his father, his marriage split, and the loss of work throughout the pandemic.

The Dubliner’s father Paddy passed away on February 24 last year, after having a stroke, just days before widespread Covid-19 restrictions were put in place for the first time.

And the Ballinteer native, 49, admitted it has taken him the year to come to terms with his tragic loss.

“It’s only now that I’ve stopped getting tearful and have started to come to terms with his death.

“My mum talks to him when she’s outside, which is lovely, because if you don’t, they say the person dies twice,” he told The Sunday Independent.

Alongside dealing with his grief, the pandemic has proved a tough time for the comic professionally too - as he has been unable to perform on stage since live events were shut this time last year.

The comic, who has been keeping busy with his podcast Mind Your Loaf, his app iLaugh, and online sketches on social media, feels politicians ‘don’t get’ how decimated the arts industry is.

He said: “The Government doesn’t seem to get it that the arts, the actors, the comedians, all the theatres, everybody that works in the industry, bring in so much revenue and we haven’t been treated well at all.

“We are going to need another round of funding.”

But he credits a “great therapist” for helping him through the hardships during monthly sessions online.

“I don’t have depression, like clinical depression, because we spoke about that,” he explained.

“It’s mental fatigue and that’s why I go to therapy to try and, you know, cope with everything that has been going on.”

The funnyman and former Ireland’s Got Talent judge also sought help with his mental health following his split from his wife Brenda in 2018.

“It takes a while to learn after 20 years that maybe you shouldn’t be together any more,” he said.

“I had a family unit for the whole time and then it was all ripped out from underneath me.”

The couple now enjoy a good relationship co-parenting their two children, Devin and Daniel, and Jason has a new partner, called Tracy Power, who works for a cancer charity.