Looking at life: Comedian David Nihill to make ABQ debut at The Historic Lobo Theater

Odds are, David Nihill would still be traveling around the world even if he wasn’t performing comedy.

“I’ve learned so much from my travels,” Nihill said. “I take the time to research the areas I’m going to be in and want to dive into the area’s history as much as I can.”

The Irish comedian will make his Albuquerque debut at The Historic Lobo Theater at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2.

“I’ve driven through Albuquerque but never properly performed there,” he admitted. “I’m looking forward to sharing a Guinness with the audience when I get there.”

Nihill was born and raised in Dublin.

He left his hometown at age 22 — it was the age where he fell in love with traveling and has never looked back.

Nihill said his shows draw on his travels, cultural observations, attempts at language study, international drinking sessions and being a mildly confused immigrant.

The material is drawn from his living and working in 12 different countries and his travels to more than 70.

“What’s great about what I do is that it brings people together,” he said. “I observe everything and put it out as a way to bring a universal feeling to it. The goal is not to divide anyone.”

Nihill has made a name for himself as the winner of the prestigious annual San Francisco Comedy Competition in 2018 — previous finalists include Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, Marsha Warfield, Sinbad and Dana Carvey.

Nihill is also a bestselling writer, and 2023’s “Cultural Appreciation” is his most recent comedy special.

His videos have gone viral many times over, with more than 500 million views and a social following of over two million people.

As his profile continues to rise, Nihill was able to scratch off a bucket list item recently.

He appeared on the Irish TV show “The Late Late Show” — which is the second-longest running late night show next to “The Tonight Show.”

“I got to tell a story about my mother,” he said. “They brought her to the studio to give her a moment in the sun.”

During the show, Nihill told the story of how his mother used another birth certificate to get married to his father in Ireland. Then she used the same birth certificate to get a job in America.

“It’s quite fun to hear the story because it was the birth certificate of my dad’s sister,” he said. “She got her moment and I was able to tell this story which is totally unbelievable.”

Nihill uses his comedy as a way to not only keep audiences entertained, but help them overcome obstacles.

“I tried to get over a fear of public speaking,” he explained. “When you don’t understand something, that’s what is scary. If you spend a year jumping into it, it goes away. That’s what I did with stand-up comedy. I never planned to actually be on stage, but here I am.”

Nihill doesn’t write anything out before he goes on stage — it’s all locked inside of his head.

During his stop in Albuquerque, he will also be giving the audience his picks of books to read.

“These books have made a difference in my life,” he said. “Boundaries are nonexistent in my show. Very recently, I’ve been to Luxembourg and to Spain. It’s amazing to be on stage, speaking another language and having a sold-out crowd just waiting to hear what you have to say. I’m amazed how entertainment reaches people. It’s quite crazy how fast the world moves. I’m trying to keep up with it. I take great joy in that I get to do this for a living.”