The 9th Murphy’s Cat Laughs Comedy Festival will deliver what is probably the most impressive comedy lineup ever seen on these shores. There’s a wealth of talent on display and the only problem lies in deciding which shows to choose. These are just some of the highlights.

UK
Bill Bailey, Jeremy Hardy, Nina Conti, Daniel Kitson, Phil Kay, Jimmy Carr, Noel Fielding, Fred MacAulay – the British contribution to the festival this year is indecently good.

NORTH AMERICA
Representatives will include renowned satirist Will Durst, ‘America’s No.1 Impotent Comic’ David Feldman, David Cross, Kathleen Madigan, Lewis Black, Orny Adams (last seen with Jerry Seinfeld in the movie Comedian), Jim Gaffigan and Time Out Award Winner Mike Wilmot from Canada.

IRELAND
Tommy Tiernan, Colin Murphy, Jason Byrne, Barry Murphy, David O’Doherty, Deirdre O’Kane, Owen O’Neill, Dara O’Briain, Ed Byrne… it’s a who’s who of Irish comedy!

‘Book Soup’ Literary Showcase
Inaugurated just last year, ‘Book Soup’ 2003 will feature Rich Hall, Tony Hawks (UK), Melissa Bank (UK), Sparkle Hayter (US) and Icelandic Literature Prize Winner Hallgrimur Helgason. Hosted by Pauline McLynn.

Kitty Flicks
The fourth year of ‘Kitty Flicks’ – a showcase of international short comedy films – sees Aardman Animation contribute the Wallace and Gromit starring Cracking Contraptions, whilst Oscar-nominated Irish producers Brown Bags are screening several episodes of the phenomenally popular Give Up Yer Aul Sins series.

‘Cat Scratchings’ Cartoon Festival
This year the ‘Cat Scratchings’ Cartoon Festival showcases work by Speedbump’s Dave Coverly and Irish icons Graeme Keyes and Tom Mathews. Festival newcomers include Pulitzer prizewinner Mike Luckovich from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jeremy Banx of the Financial Times and Private Eye contributor Ed McLachlan.

Our picks
Six comics you simply can’t afford to miss

Daniel Kitson
Perrier Award Winner 2002. Time Out Award Winner 2002. The awards for this man are piling up and tickets to his shows are like gold dust so call the ticketline now!

Jeremy Hardy
One of the UK’s foremost satirical standups, Hardy is only performing two shows at the Murphy’s Cat Laughs but they are guaranteed to be unmissable.

Otis Lee Crenshaw
A bona fide comedy legend, Otis Lee Crenshaw has packed houses around the globe with his redneck musical comedy.

Adam Hills
Twice-nominated for the Perrier Award and winner of the People’s Choice in Edinburgh last year. Five-star reviews are routine and there is no doubt your life will be better for having seen this man.

David Cross
New to Ireland but a household name to many in America, you might recognise David Cross from his role in Men In Black or his appearances on the David Letterman Show. Basically he’s done it all and his festival debut should be a treat.

Kathleen Madigan
If you missed her last time she appeared in Kilkenny, then don’t make the same mistake twice. With an amazing 12 appearances on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’, Kathleen is one of America’s premier comics and arrives on top form.