Irish comedian Emma Doran has opened up about becoming a mum as a teenager, revealing she was terrified about how her granny would react to the news of her pregnancy.
Speaking on Sunday’s episode of The Museum of Me with Dermot Whelan on RTÉ One, Doran recalled welcoming her daughter Ella just 13 days before sitting her Leaving Cert.
“I remember when my mam was going to tell my granny that I was pregnant, I was really worried,” she said.
“It was stressful, but I was still looking forward to being a mam even though the circumstances were crazy.”
Watch: Emma Doran on The Museum of Me
Thankfully, her fears were unfounded, as her granny couldn’t have been happier.
“She was probably the most excited person to see Ella. Sure, they hadn’t held a baby in so long. To see your granny holding your baby, it’s quite strange. They were great.”
Doran also laughed as she remembered how impressed her teenage friends were with her natural parenting instincts.
“I remember my friends came in to visit me and I was already swinging her up onto my shoulder and they were like, ‘OMG Emma, you are so experienced.’ It was great,” she said.
Reflecting on that chapter of her life, Doran said she has nothing but admiration for her younger self.
“She was pretty hard on herself. She gave it her best and she really tried to get her degree and be a good mammy, and I just think, fair play to her.”
Emma Doran speaks to Dermot Whelan about her teenage pregnancy, her wonderful grandmother and her biting sense of humour as a child
Among the meaningful items Doran chose to share on The Museum of Me was her childhood diary, which showed her trademark sense of humour was evident from an early age.
“When I’m looking through it, it’s actually embarrassing to see some jokes I’ve literally been working on for 30 years. This is the start of it. That little kind of sharp tongue there that’s still in my comedy,” she laughed.
The Museum of Me airs on Sundays at 8.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.