# Cat Laughs > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cat_Laughs > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cat_Laughs.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Laughs > Source revision: 1349904886 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{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 = |begins = |ends = |frequency = Annually |venue = |location = [Kilkenny](/source/Kilkenny), [County Kilkenny](/source/County_Kilkenny), |coordinates = |country = [Ireland](/source/Republic_of_Ireland) |years_active = |first = {{start date|1994}} |founder_name = {{ubl|Lynn Cahill|Richard Cook}} |last = |prev = |next = |participants = |attendance = |capacity = |area = |budget = |activity = |leader_name = |patron = |organised = |filing = |people = |member = |sponsor = |website = {{URL|https://thecatlaughs.com/}} |current = |footnotes = }} The '''Cat Laughs Comedy Festival''' is a [comedy](/source/comedy) festival held over the first weekend in June each year in [Kilkenny](/source/Kilkenny), [County Kilkenny](/source/County_Kilkenny), [Ireland](/source/Republic_of_Ireland). It was founded in 1994. It has been referred to as the "Best Little Comedy Festival in the world" by ''[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)'' and ''[RTÉ](/source/RT%C3%89_News)''.{{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}}{{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}} == 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.{{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}} For the first two editions, no Irish comedian closed the festival due to the audience preferring British comics. The first edition was sponsored by [Smithwick's](/source/Smithwick's) before being sponsored by [Murphy's Irish Stout](/source/Murphy's_Irish_Stout) until 2015 when Smithwick's returned.{{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}} 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](/source/Arts_Council_(Ireland)), which provided a grant of €95,000.{{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](/source/Irish_Times) |location= |publisher= |access-date=24 May 2025}} The festival is traditionally held over the [June Holiday](/source/June_Holiday) [long weekend](/source/long_weekend).{{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}} Each comedian is previewed at other shows by the festival directors before being invited to perform at Cat Laughs. Many comedians from the UK and Ireland have attended including; [Dara Ó Briain](/source/Dara_%C3%93_Briain), [Ed Byrne](/source/Ed_Byrne_(comedian)) and [Eddie Izzard](/source/Eddie_Izzard).{{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}} Some notable names in stand-up, like [David O'Doherty](/source/David_O'Doherty), have gone from audience member to headliner over the festival's history. The festival has also been used as a way to launch the careers of comedians from outside the United Kingdom and Ireland.{{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}} Other notable Irish comedians who have worked Cat Laughs include [Tommy Tiernan](/source/Tommy_Tiernan), [Dylan Moran](/source/Dylan_Moran), [Joanne McNally](/source/Joanne_McNally), [Jason Byrne](/source/Jason_Byrne_(comedian)), [Neil Delamere](/source/Neil_Delamere), [Alison Spittle](/source/Alison_Spittle), [Karl Spain](/source/Karl_Spain), and [Eleanor Tiernan](/source/Eleanor_Tiernan).{{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](/source/RT%C3%89_News) |location= |publisher= |access-date=24 May 2025}} 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.{{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}}{{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}} ==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 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cat Laughs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Laughs) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Laughs?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.