The Kilkenny Cat Laughs Comedy Festival is back for its 24th year and unveils one of the most exciting and diverse line-up’s to date.
The Cat Laughs once more brings world class comics to Kilkenny city, including a festival debut from Rory Scovel, one of the best comedians on the live circuit today. Then there’s Manchester favourite Jason Manford, Aisling Bea fresh from recording one of Netflix’s 15 minute comedy specials, household name Reginald D Hunter, The Last Leg’s Adam Hills, whimsical master James Acaster and the whip smart Sara Pascoe.
Mock the Week’s Zoe Lyons, festival favourite and Ireland’s Got Talent Judge Jason Byrne, keyboard maestro David O’Doherty, Des Bishop and Maeve Higgins (flying in from New York for the weekend) are also all appearing at the 2018 festival.
This year’s festival brings together the best in Irish comedy including, Neil Delamere, Deirdre O’Kane, Andrew Maxwell, Barry Murphy, Karl Spain, Alison Spittle, Bernard O’Shea, Eleanor Tiernan, Abandoman, Colm O’Regan, Chris Kent, Paul Currie, Joanne McNally, Colin Murphy, Eric Lalor, Kevin McGahern, Jarlath Regan, Fred Cooke, Gearoid Farrelly and many more.
Stray at this year’s Cat Laughs
STRAY is a new strand of Cat Laughs for late-night explorers, day-time wanderers and the curious at heart – if you are looking for something a little bit different then this is could be for you.
Check out Meltybrains?, one of the country’s most lauded live acts, Barry Award Nominees The Bear Pack, Improv performers of a near-divine level of inspiration, Los Angeles’ premier genre-bending, mash-up comedy spectacle The Super Serious Show and, after the resounding success of their Cat Laughs debut last year, Soho Theatre, London’s most vibrant venue for new theatre, comedy and cabaret!
Blind Boy Boatclub’s new podcast will be coming live from Langtons Ballroom, where you can expect very special guests – one part fiction, a pinch of politics and a heaped spoonful of lunacy. Also making their Kilkenny debut are Reductress, your home for “Womens’ News. Feminized” with their unmissable Podcast “Mouth Time” – giving you everything you’ve come to expect from a women’s magazine podcast.
Dreamgun Film Reads will present their skewed, joke-stuffed & wholly unrehearsed take on cinematic classics. For their special Cat Laughs performance they are set to tackle the time-travelling classic “Back To The Future’”.
There’s even more! Seconds Captains Live show is back after it’s sell out success last year, as are Stephen Frost’s Improv All Stars with Today FM’s Dermot Whelan, and Karl Spain’s Hilarious Walking Tour. Festival debuts from John Kearns, the only person to win the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award only a year after being named Best Newcomer, Natalie Palamides (last year’s newcomer winner), Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists Lords Of Strut, Facebook sensation Tony Cantwell, anti-comedy hero Ed Aczel, PLUS Lise Meyer, Barry Rothbart, Kevin Camia, Lauren Pattison & Steen Raskopoulos!
Rising Talent
The Cat Laughs are always keen to support up and coming comedic talent and once again we have The Wild Cats which will showcase the best in new stand-up. This year’s line-up includes Hannah Mamalis, Norris & Parker, Aine Gallagher, Catherine Bohart, Aidan Greene, Maisie Adam, Ken Cheng, Sara Barron & more to be announced.
For more details, check thecatlaughs.com.
