Dublin magician Jack Wise has enjoyed a career in entertainment which has spanned over two decades, having performed for the likes of Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Spice Girls.
Having mastered card tricks and even the daring art of sword swallowing, Jack's performances are perhaps more so characterised by his infectious showmanship, guaranteeing a good dose of banter along with intriguing magic tricks. In fact, Jack has been a long time performer at comedy clubs as well as his regular stints at corporate parties and festivals around the world.
Jack spoke to Dublin Live about how his career in magic came to be. He revealed that school was never for him and he didn't even show up to do his Leaving Cert exams. He explained: "I went to a fee paying school. My father is the son of a van driver and became an accountant.
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"He probably got the same look from his father as when I told him I wanted to be a magician."
After school, Jack did a course in electronic engineering which eventually led him to work for a private investigating firm. A friend of his, who happened to have a pal who looked after the entertainment at The Pod nightclub, saw him doing close up magic at a party one night.
Jack then provided the entertainment for the VIPs at the venue, which was the place to be for visiting celebs at the time.
Jack told us: "It was quite cutting edge at the time. It wasn't a common form of entertainment as it would be today.
"All sorts of celebs would roll in if they were doing a concert at the time. The Pod was the place to be. I performed for Robbie Williams, The Spice Girls, Jamiroquai, Kylie Minogue.
"Bono was a great lad to do magic for. He was really down to earth. I did a trick where I get someone to sign a card, wrap a rubber band around it, shuffle it pack into the pack and throw it up and the card sticks to the ceiling while the deck drops. He was just a lovely fella."
Since then, Jack has enjoyed a successful career which has seen him travelling all over the world to perform in places such as Switzerland, Canada, the UK and Germany.
"When I go to the festivals in Switzerland I meet amazing jugglers, fire breathers. All of these people who are now my friends," Jack said.
He has also managed the intriguing art of ventriloquism as well as sword swallowing, something he demonstrated during his chat with us. Watching him slowly lower a huge sword down his body is a spine tingling experience, but one that you won't be able to look away from.
He revealed: "The first time that sword goes down, you've never had the sensation before. It's something alien inside your body. I was trying for ages and one day the sword just dropped. The next time, my body went into some sort of shock and everything just locked.
"I couldn't get the sword out. The saliva was running down my throat and I could feel myself drowning. But once I relaxed, I could get the sword out."
Jack's sword has gotten him into some quite interesting situations, such as explaining the reason for carrying such a weapon at Canadian immigration offices. At home, Jack even experienced a hilarious run in with two Gardaí who stopped him for carrying a sword down the road.
To prove he was on his way to a performance, Jack took the sword out and proceeded to swallow it in front of them on the street. To find out where and how you can see Jack in action, you can visit Jack's website or follow his Instagram and Facebook pages.
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