ENTERTAINMENT: Keith says there won’t be a ‘dry eye in the house’ at his new show

KEITH Barry, the world’s leading TV hypnotist, mentalist and brain hacker, feels that 20 months into the pandemic, it’s now time for everyone to get on with their lives.

‘We all know we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and there’s nothing unpredictable about it,’ he said. ‘We know numbers are going to increase, we know they’ll fall again and we know there will be new variants, so there are no surprises.’

Keith said he feels ‘life is passing us by.’

‘While still following the  rules, I think we need to start enjoying life again and getting out to meet people,’ he said.

Speaking ahead of his two Cork shows at the Opera House next February, Keith admitted he found the lockdowns difficult as he said it’s in his DNA to be on stage.

‘When people were saying it allowed them to spend more time with their families, I sort of asked myself if they shouldn’t always be doing that! I did lose my purpose a bit, until I pivoted online and then things got very busy and I also wrote my book,’ he said.

That book is called Brain Hacks: Everyday Mind Magic for Creating the Life You Want.

He describes it as a self help/self development book where he shows how to self consciously hack your brain to boost positivity and reduce stress and anxiety.

‘It will teach you how to live a life different to the life you’re currently living,’ he promised.

In it he shares some painful stories from his own life including a head-on car collision he was involved in a few years back. He was only five minutes from having his leg amputated and was later told he would have a limp for the rest of his life.

‘But in that moment I booked a date to perform in Vicar Street and I walked on stage without a limp and that was all because of my own mind-set.’

He advises people not to just read his book but to study it: ‘Take a pen and circle the pieces that resonate with you.’

And his advice is to try the techniques in the book for 15 minutes a day for at last 21 days.

‘There’s no magic sprinkles, you have to trust the magic in you,’ he said.

Reconnected is the name of his new show which will be in the Opera House next February 25th and 26th and Keith promises it will be ‘beautiful, poignant and with a real feel good factor.’

‘It’s all about wonder and laughter,’ he says.

‘There won’t be a dry eye in the house.’

• Tickets cost €35, see ticketmaster.ie. The Southern Star has two tickets to give away for one of the shows. Details to be announced shortly.