He came to prominence on the RTÉ television show Nighthawks which began broadcasting in the late 1980s.
McAleer became known for his three-minute sketches[3] of surreal rustic tales told in his slow County Tyrone drawl.
[4] In 2022 he toured his one-man show entitled Why am I Here and played the part of boring Uncle Colm in Derry Girls on Channel 4.
[8] He writes in his office which is located in Omagh and cites Flann O'Brien, James Joyce, Don DeLillo, Umberto Eco and Nikolai Gogol as influences.
[9] McAleer writes occasional comic pieces for the Irish Times, responding to current events such as Brexit.