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n good times and in bad, but we all need a little magic in our lives.
From believing in Santa to dreaming about Ukraine invading Russia, magic is a momentary lapse of logic that convinces us for a second that anything is possible.
Like finding your torn-up two of clubs intact and sitting pretty inside a watermelon.
Having channelled their own love of magic, and kids, into the highly successful Genie Mackers gang of goofballs, children’s entertainers Juliette Rahill and Dee O’Shea were inspired to create a show for those all grown up and ready to be gobsmacked too after one of their idols, David Kaye, quipped that “entertaining kids is like entertaining drunk adults”.
“So, we realised then that there really isn’t all that much difference,” laughs Dee. “At the core, it’s still all about the magic, just up a gear or two in the mechanics of it all. So now we get to be ourselves as well as superheroes and fairy princesses…”
“The turning point for me came when a magician was hired for my mum’s 60th,” says Juliette. “I just loved the fact that you could make jokes that worked on a different level, and that the tricks themselves had to be a little more complex, a little more mature…
“Now, alongside the close-up magic and the card tricks, I get to read minds too. That’s my passion. But I can sense that you knew that already…”
It didn’t take long for the tricksome twosome to become Jules & Dee, the Republic of Ireland’s first female magicians landing big gigs such as The Red Cross Annual Awards Ball and with the likes of the Dublin Chamber Of Commerce alongside the weddings, stag nights, birthday parties and corporate events.
With the 14-strong Genie Mackers 2022 summer camps currently being put together, Juliette and Deirdre now, they say, have the best of both worlds.
“The fact that you get a different kind of thrill from these two different audiences feels amazing,” finishes Juliette. “But what hits you most is that, no matter what age you are, great magic can turn you into a little kid seeing a coin appear from your ear for the first time…”
You can find out more about Jules & Dee here, and about Genie Mackers right here. In the meantime, we go down the rabbit hole with the duplicitous duo…
You can see how Jules & Dee tried to outwit the great mind of GG right here, and here.