Laurita Blewitt is a podcaster who co-hosts the hugely successful Tommy, Hector and Laurita podcast with comedian Tommy Tiernan and broadcaster Hector Ó hEochagáin. She is also a fundraiser for Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation and a cousin of US President Joe Biden.
You co-host the Tommy, Hector and Laurita podcast – do the three of you buy each other Christmas presents?
We did for the first and maybe the second year of doing the podcast – and then Tommy [Tiernan] got all Mr Bah Humbug and said, “Ah, let’s not do it this year.”
But I think I’d maybe get them some sort of miraculous medals to keep them safe because they’re on the road all the time and they’re always causing mayhem wherever they go, especially Tommy. In fairness to them, I’ve got some nice gifts from them in the past, make-up bags and cashmere gloves and that. So they are thoughtful – no soap sets or mugs.
Do you hear from your famous American relative during the festive season?
I do get Christmas cards from The White House, yeah. No gifts per se, although I’ve had a few gifts from the time he’s been president. But the card does me grand, for sure.
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Are you a fan of the season in general?
To be honest, I’m not a great one for Christmas because my mum died on the 27th of December in 2019. Since then I’ve lost my interest in it a bit – so I’m probably not the best person to talk to (laughs). Christmas can be a tricky time for people. I keep telling myself that we’re going to get away for Christmas and spend it out of the country, and have a bit of an adventure. Hopefully some Christmas we’ll get around to doing that.
How will you be spending it this year and who will you be with?
I’m usually in Knockmore with my dad and my brother, and his wife and kids, and my husband. I have two uncles who are bachelors who live just down the road from me so it’s usually a visit to them, either on foot or by bicycle because you get filled up with lots of whiskey with them. And then I’ll go to my best friend Audrey’s house, where you’ll get more whiskey and wine and all sorts. So dinner last year was quite hairy by the time I got back to the kitchen.
What is your Christmas dinner speciality?
I do make a really good sausage stuffing for the turkey – that’s been perfected over the years of learning from my mother. That gets rave reviews every year.
Last year your festive morning porter with Tommy and Hector was documented on the podcast – will you be having a Christmas party again this year?
Oh, yes, we will. Last year started off as “morning porter” and ended quite badly (laughs). But people were on our Christmas drinking journey with us, for sure. Actually, we have a new members-only episode on Mondays now, called Three Pints Please, where we visit random spots and have a pint in pubs all over the country. So, definitely, at Christmas there’ll be more than three pints, for sure.
