With the Edinburgh Festival just around the corner there’s a veritable plethora of preview offerings from some of the Irish comedy contingent who’re travelling over to strut their stuff. Laughlines favourite Deirdre O’Kane appears this month upstairs at Laughter Lounge on July 20th with her one-woman show Deirdre O’Kane is Crystallised. The show introduces her new character Crystal Hickey who is the type of young lady you might find wandering around Temple Bar at 5am with a V ‘n RB in one hand and her shoes in the other. God love her. On the same bill is ‘Tis A Pity She’s Anonymous, in which the divine Deirdre appears with ex-Nuala and Comedy Improv mainstay Tara Flynn. The ladies consider the vagaries of that ‘fing called fame and are directed by Paths To Freedom’s Ian Fitzgibbon. The Laughter Lounge also launch their new improv offering Text In The City on July 26th to July 28th. The show will feature some of the UK and Ireland’s top comics who respond to text messages sent by the audience, so if you’re normally too shy to shout out your suggestions now’s your chance.

Speaking of ex-Nualas, Sussanah Dewrixon is currently packing them in at the Olympia theatre, Dublin in the company of Rosaleen Linehan and Mary Coughlan. Yet another lady with Nuala connections is Anne Gildea who appears with brother Kevin Gildea at Bewleys Café Theatre in A Nonsense Of Ireland from July 25th to July 29th. Gildea (m) also appears in the same venue from July 24th to July 29th with his musical project The Kevin Gildeas. He’ll be accompanied by Sean Millar on guitar and Paul Cantwell on drums.

The Gag Reflex is a one-off show (this time around, at least) at Andrews Lane theatre on July 20th featuring award-winning comedian James Goldsbury and the oft-nominated Matt Sadlier. The show promises to “make you die laughing” but adds that if anyone actually dies, the duo will honour them with a minute’s silence at subsequent gigs.

Both Eddie Naessens and Declan Rooney of the Ha’penny Bridge Inn’s Comedy Rooms are, at the time of going to press, unaware of whether or not they’ve qualified for Channel 4’s So You Think You’re Funny final but we wish them well.

Those who might like to be mentioned in these pages and enjoy the subsequent social cachet and the opportunity to advise world leaders have until July 20th to submit a 3-5 minute videotape to RTE’s New Comedy Awards competition. Send your entries to RTE New Comedy Awards, Platform Events, PO Box 7595, Dublin 16. We hear the date may be extended due to the high quality of the entries, but get in there quick. We’ll give you a full report on the proceedings in due course.

Finally, please could some kind soul tell us what’s going at the myriad of comedy gigs outside Dublin. We’d love to give you the publicity but you don’t talk to us… It was ages ago and we’re really sorry. And they weren’t as good as you and we only did it ‘cos we were drunk.

Late result just in, Johnny Vegas plays Cork’s City Limits on July 27th and July 28th. Buy him a vodka and Lucozade. b