Biography - Tara has been a performer since 1990 working solely as an actress for the first six years, appearing in theatre, radio and television. Recent TV roles include showbiz correspondent Gayle Ryder on RTE's X-it File, as a panellist on topical chat show The Panel, and as a leading cast member on both series of Grand Pictures hit sketch comedy TV show Stew. Most recently she appeared in Hide and Seek directed by Dearbhla Walsh for Accomplice TV/RTE in early 2006. In 1999 Tara became a core member of the acclaimed Dublin Comedy Improv team, performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Adelaide Fringe, Kilkenny Cat Laughs and the Edinburgh Festival, and has shared the stage with special guests including members of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and London's Comedy Store Players. For the last several years, Tara has also been performing her own stand-up and has appeared at the above festivals and all over Ireland. In 2002 the Improv team devised the hit Comedy Improv Radio Show for RTE recorded live at Vicar Street. A second series was recorded live at The Helix in 2003. Tara has also featured as the sole female cast member in both series of Hendersons History of the World for RTE Radio 1. Tara is also an accomplished singer and in 1996 became a founder member of the comedy-singing trio, The Nualas. She is one of Ireland's leading voice-over artistes, featuring on numerous commercials, but most famously as the "You have no new messages" voice on the 02 mobile phone network around Ireland. Tara wrote a weekly column for the Evening Herald It's Friday magazine for several years. Her radio piece Ma, Pa and Dangerous to Know was featured in RTE's 2001 Stand Up Stories season, and for a time she wrote the Out There column for the Irish Independent. She also co-wrote and performed 'Tis Pity She's Anonymous with Deirdre O'Kane for the Edinburgh Fringe and sell-out runs at Dublin's Olympia Theatre and Vicar Street. In theatre, she appeared as Suzy Bernstein in the 2004 Dublin Theatre Festival run of I Do Not Like Thee Doctor Fell directed by Martin Drury at the Abbey Theatre. She appeared as Surfia in the original production of I Keano directed by Peter Sheridan for Lane Productions at the Olympia Theatre and on tour. Most recently Tara appeared as a host of different characters in the award-winning Edinburgh Fringe Festival production of Talk Radio with Phil Nichol and Mike McShane.