Meet the Wexford woman who quit her job as a nurse to run away with the circus
You’ve progressed through university, land a job, then decide it’s not for you…
That’s the case for many newly graduates and it’s certainly the case for Wexford woman, Ciara Louise Grey, who specialised in mental health nursing at WIT (Waterford Institute of Technology).
Unlike many others though, Ciara decided to run off with the circus. A very different choice of career, especially given the career she had.
Ciara is now part of the Circus Vegas crew, travelling all around Ireland, part of an act that is described as a “one-of-a-kind performance, featuring the most talented dare devil performers from across the globe showcasing this Las Vegas production.”
With the Circus Vegas coming to Wexford Racecourse for ten nights from October 3rd to October 13th, we had the chance to catch up with Ciara as she talks us through her change of career, what she loves about the circus, and the challenges she faces.
Within the circus itself, Ciara has a multitude of roles. Not just a performer, she has roles from working in the box office and working in the shop too.
“Within the circus we all have many different roles. At the moment I work in the box office before the shows, behind the counter in the shop during the show and then I perform the flying trapeze with ‘The Flying Astleys’ at the end of the show. My role also includes helping with the building up of the tent when we arrive in a new town, unloading the trucks and laying out the ring boxes, and chairs, setting up the trapeze rigging with the fly team and putting the shop together and then also reloading everything back into the truck at the end of a stand and getting everything packed down to move again,” Ciara told Wexford Weekly.
For Ciara, now two years into her role with the circus, she highlights that the circus is like a little family to her now:
“The opportunity came up to join a touring circus for 5 weeks at the end of a season in 2022 and I thought it might be a fun thing to try. Now that I am focusing on flying trapeze, spending 7 months on tour with ‘The Flying Astley’s’ gives me the time and opportunity to develop my skills and train regularly with more experienced flyers. This is my second year with Circus Vegas in Ireland and the show is like a second family to me now,” she said.
One can imagine that being involved is an enjoyable thing to be apart of. This is also the case for Ciara, and travelling around and being on the road is just one big appeal:
“There are so many things that I love about the circus- the travelling around and visiting new places and towns, wearing the costumes, doing the make up, meeting new people and getting the opportunity to train regularly on the flying trapeze and perform what I love,” Ciara told Wexford Weekly.
Her career change from psychiatric nursing to the circus is a unique story. Of course, Ciara is thankful of her career change now – but down the line, she’s not ruling out a return to her other passion either:
“I am really blessed to have found two career paths that I am really passionate about. This year has been the first year that I have really stepped back from nursing to focus on flying trapeze and I am glad I am able to do this while my body is able for the physical demands of performing flying trapeze. In saying that, I have carried my scrubs around Ireland for the past few months in the off chance the opportunity comes up that I could head back down to my team in Wexford Mental health Services for a day,” she said.
While the circus is a fun thing to be apart of, Ciara did also note the challenges that come with it. The biggest one, as you can imagine, is the physical demands on the body.
“For me the biggest challenge often comes before the performing part. The days when your body is a little achy and you’re feeling a little tired and struggling to get and stay warm before going out in the ring. Once I get on the platform and the adrenaline kicks in then everything usually comes together,” she said.
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