Ciara Louise Gray was a psychiatric nurse but has given up her full-time job in the HSE to run away with the circus.

Now working as an acrobat for Circus Gerbola and living in a caravan, she says she's content with her career change.

The Wexford native used to make the trip to Dublin's Taking Flight studio to attend evening classes while she was still working as a nurse.

"I just did that over and over again until I eventually got to a standard where I could think about a career in the circus", she told the Moncreiff show.

For Ms Gray, the pandemic reaffirmed her passion for acrobatics and eventually led to her taking the plunge to apply for jobs at circus companies.

"Like every other nurse on the frontline, there were some really tough days - working long hours, understaffed, under pressure", she said.

"Then when things started to regain some sort of normality, I decided that it was kind of now or never."

Getting started

Ms Gray sought support from the Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network, which "guided [her] through the transition from full-time nurse to circus performer".

She got involved with Circus Gerbola through a residency scheme funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.

Despite being a newbie, Ms Gray said that the group were "really welcoming" from the beginning.

"It's when an artists gets to go and live and tour as part of Circus Gerbola", she explained.

The team, along with Ms Gray, is now preparing for the Christmas season, with shows running until December 23rd.

Running away with the circus

Ms Gray is currently living in a caravan on-sight at Howth Castle, where she'll be performing - a living situation she admits "has its challenges".

But she always has the help of her experienced colleagues.

"A lot of the crew that I'm working with at the moment, they would have grown up in the circus", she said.

"I really feel blessed that I've had the opportunity to learn from some really experienced artists."

"There's a great sense of community there and I never felt alone or isolated."

Listen back to the full conversation here.

Main image shows a circus tent in Sussex, England. Picture by: Linda Kennedy/Alamy