Cat Laughs programme unveiled

The line-up has been announced for this year’s Cat Laughs festival in Kilkenny – with Cheers star George Wendt among the bigger names taking part.

The actor, who played Norm in the top-rated sitcom, hosted the very first Cat Laughs in 1995 and returns for what the festival is calling its ‘birthday edition’. Although as an annual event, every festival is a ‘birthday edition’.

Other American acts taking part include Pete Holmes, who hosts a nightly talk show on TBS in the States; political comic W Kamau Bell, star of his own Fox series; Neal Brennan, who co-created Chappelle's Show with Dave Chappelle; and Dom Irrera, a long-standing festival veteran.

Irish sports comedy trio Après Match – Barry Murphy, Risteárd Cooper and Gary Cooke – will also be reforming to celebrate the World Cup, 14 years after making their first appearance on stage at Cat Laughs.

Dara O Briain, Tommy Tiernan, Ardal O’Hanlon, Des Bishop and Jason Byrne are also among the Irish contingent, while Kevin Bridges, Mike Wilmot, Glenn Wool, Katherine Ryan and Adam Hills are some of the representatives from the rest of the world.

The festival is sponsored by Sky, which will be exclusively showcase some upcoming programmes during the event, which runs from May 29 to June 2.

These include the third of Charlie Brooker’s A Touch of Cloth films and the new programme 50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy, in which Baz Ashmawy challenged his pensioner mother to join him on a thrill-seeking trip around the world.

Ashmawy, said: ‘After nearly six months of cruelly dragging my poor 71-year-old mother around the world, doing my bucket list of things she should do in her life, I'm so delighted to be coming home and launching 50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy at the Sky Cat Laughs festival.’

The festival’s artistic director Naoise Nunn claimed tis year’s line-up was ‘our best yet’, adding: ‘The festival has played an enormous role in establishing modern Irish comedy and helped launch so many now-household names in comedic talent. It’s a testament to the Cat Laughs that these huge success stories are coming back.’

For full listings information, visit www.skycatlaughs.com

Published: 2 Apr 2014