{{Short description|Annual comedy festival in Ireland}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Use Irish English|date=October 2020}} {{Infobox recurring event |name = Cat Laughs |native_name = |native_name_lang = |nickname = |logo = 2025 Kilkenny Cat Laughs festival wordmark.svg |logo_alt = |logo_caption = |logo_size = |image = |image_size = |alt = |caption = |status = Active |genre = Comedy Festival |date = <!-- {{start date|YYYY|mm|dd}} "dates=" also works, but do not use both --> |begins = <!-- {{start date|YYYY|mm|dd}} --> |ends = <!-- {{end date|YYYY|mm|dd}} --> |frequency = Annually |venue = |location = Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, |coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LON|type:event|display=inline,title}} --> |country = Ireland |years_active = <!-- {{age|YYYY|mm|dd}} Date of the first occurrence --> |first = {{start date|1994}} |founder_name = {{ubl|Lynn Cahill|Richard Cook}} |last = <!-- Date of most recent event; if the event will not be held again, use {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} --> |prev = |next = |participants = |attendance = |capacity = |area = |budget = |activity = |leader_name = |patron = |organised = <!-- "organized=" also works --> |filing = |people = |member = |sponsor = <!-- | or sponsors = --> |website = {{URL|https://thecatlaughs.com/}} |current = |footnotes = }} The '''Cat Laughs Comedy Festival''' is a comedy festival held over the first weekend in June each year in Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland. It was founded in 1994.<ref name=it /> It has been referred to as the "Best Little Comedy Festival in the world" by ''The Guardian'' and ''RTÉ''.<ref name="proquest">{{cite news |last1=Cook |first1=William |title=The guide: PREVIEW comedy: * cat laughs comedy festival KILKENNY |url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/guide-preview-comedy-cat-laughs-festival-kilkenny/docview/246007386/se-2 |access-date=9 May 2024 |work=The Guardian |agency=Proquest |date=24 May 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/culture/2019/0319/1037299-cat-laughs-celebrates-25-years-with-all-star-comedy-line-up/ |title=Cat Laughs celebrates 25 years with all-star comedy line up |publisher=RTE |date=2019-03-20 |accessdate=2020-03-10}}</ref>
== History == Cat Laughs was envisioned in 1994 by Lynn Cahill, who ran Bickerstaffe Theatre Company in Kilkenny. As a means to expand the company's programme, she considered with her business partner that Kilkenny was great for a festival. After originally planning a choral festival called "Cat Sings", her business partner Richard Cook suggested a comedy festival instead.<ref name=it>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/my-big-week-1.1207685 |title=My big week |newspaper=Irish Times |accessdate=2020-03-10}}</ref> For the first two editions, no Irish comedian closed the festival due to the audience preferring British comics.<ref name=it /> The first edition was sponsored by Smithwick's before being sponsored by Murphy's Irish Stout until 2015 when Smithwick's returned.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/stellar-line-up-plays-for-laughs-1.439116 |title=Stellar line-up plays for Laughs |newspaper=Irish Times |date=2005-05-07 |accessdate=2020-03-10}}</ref> The festival experienced a major financial loss in its inaugural year, with debts ranging between £70,000 and £100,000. The festival's second edition was held with the hopes that the debts from the first edition could be paid off. By 2002, the festival had become a profitable venture; 2002 the first year that the festival received support from the Arts Council, which provided a grant of €95,000.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=29 May 2002 |title=Cat Laughs festival opens in Kilkenny tomorrow |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/cat-laughs-festival-opens-in-kilkenny-tomorrow-1.1058752 |work=Irish Times |location= |publisher= |access-date=24 May 2025}}</ref>
The festival is traditionally held over the June Holiday long weekend.<ref name="discover">{{cite web |title=Comedy Festivals in Ireland |url=https://blog.discoveringireland.com/comedy-festivals-in-ireland/ |website=DiscoveringIreland.com |access-date=9 May 2024 |date=28 April 2010}}</ref> Each comedian is previewed at other shows by the festival directors before being invited to perform at Cat Laughs.<ref name=it />
Many comedians from the UK and Ireland have attended including; Dara Ó Briain, Ed Byrne and Eddie Izzard.<ref name=i /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.buzz.ie/entertainment/line-kilkenny-cat-laughs-2019-announced-321110 |title=Kilkenny Cat Laughs 2019 announced |publisher=Buzz |accessdate=2020-03-10}}</ref> Some notable names in stand-up, like David O'Doherty, have gone from audience member to headliner over the festival's history.<ref name="i" /> The festival has also been used as a way to launch the careers of comedians from outside the United Kingdom and Ireland.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/i-was-a-psycho-always-blaming-other-people-comedian-bill-burr-36922321.html |title=I was a psycho always blaming other people- comedian Bill Burr |newspaper=Irish Independent |accessdate=2020-03-10}}</ref> Other notable Irish comedians who have worked Cat Laughs include Tommy Tiernan, Dylan Moran, Joanne McNally, Jason Byrne, Neil Delamere, Alison Spittle, Karl Spain, and Eleanor Tiernan.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=20 March 2019 |title=Cat Laughs celebrates 25 years with all-star comedy line up |url=https://www.rte.ie/culture/2019/0320/1037299-cat-laughs-celebrates-25-years-with-all-star-comedy-line-up/ |work=RTÉ News |location= |publisher= |access-date=24 May 2025}}</ref>
A tradition developed over the years that as a part of the festival, the Irish comedians would play a football match against comedians from the rest of the world for the Cat Cup.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/review-of-the-week-smithwicks-cat-laughs-comedy-festival--26451946.html |title=Smithwick's Cat Laughs Comedy Festival |newspaper=Irish Independent |accessdate=2020-03-10}}</ref><ref name=i>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/comedy-festival-cats-out-of-the-bag-26538030.html |title=Comedy festival cats out of the bag|newspaper=Irish Independent |accessdate=2020-03-10}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.thecatlaughs.com Official Site] * [http://www.facebook.com/catlaughs Facebook Page]
{{Kilkenny}}
Category:Comedy festivals in Ireland Category:Culture in County Kilkenny Category:Kilkenny (city) Category:Performing arts in Ireland Category:1994 establishments in Ireland Category:Festivals established in 1994 Category:1990s in Irish comedy Category:2000s in Irish comedy Category:2010s in Irish comedy Category:2020s in Irish comedy