The Murphy’s Cat Laughs Festival this year celebrates its 10th birthday over the June Bank Holiday weekend. Officially launched in Lagoona in Dublin a fortnight ago by a select array of Ireland’s finest comedic talent, this year the Kilkenny festival will once again feature a superb line-up of performers, as befits the prestigious reputation the event has earned on the international stand-up circuit over the past decade.

In addition to the ever-popular Kitty Flicks, a showcase of the cream of Irish short comedy films, one cinematic event which has caused much excitement chez Nolan is the special one-off screening of the excellent American indie comedy/drama, American Splendor, which will be attended by none other than the film’s central protagonist, Harvey Pekar (pictured).
A legendary comic book writer and protégé of the peerless Robert Crumb, Pekar’s iconic status in alt. culture was sealed in the late 80s, when he appeared on Tonight With David Letterman for the umpteenth time, only to conclusively turn the tables on his host and accuse Letterman of exploiting underground culture for his own enrichment.
Following the screening of the film on Saturday June 5, Pekar will undertake a Q&A session in the company of The Irish Times’ Donald Clarke. Make sure to get there early - this is guaranteed to be one of the highlights of the weekend.
Elsewhere, renowned artist and caricaturist, Stephen Dee, has been commissioned to create a special exhibition celebrating 10 years of Cat Laughs. Titled Potty Humour, the core element of the display will be Dee’s famous miniature porcelain sculptures, this time featuring some of the personalities who have graced the festival over the past decade, including Bill Murray, Dylan Moran, Ardal O’Hanlon, Dan “Homer Simpson” Castellaneta, George “Norm Petersen” Wendt and Tommy “I’ve just mortified Uncle Greybo” Tiernan. A cautionary note, however - we’re told that there will be a surprise “living art” element to the exhibition. So don’t ask us to pay the therapy bills if it turns out to be a pissed Johnny Vegas encased in glass.
Two American comedians who have become Festival icons over the past ten years, Dom Irrera and Rich Hall, will once again join the party, along with legendary US humourist Emo Phillips, who was first on the bill back in 1995. UK comedians on the invitation list this year, meanwhile, include the ever-combative Perrier Award-winner Daniel Kitson and Distraction presenter, Jimmy Carr. Also making welcome returns are Jeff Green, Sean Lock, Milton Jones and Scotland’s Phil Kay and Fred MacAuley.
Ireland’s contingent once again reads like a Who’s-Who of the domestic comedy scene, with the aforementioned Tiernan and O’Hanlon both featuring, along with Barry Murphy, Ed Byrne, Jason Byrne, Owen O’Neill, Deirdre O’Kane, Dara O’Briain, Des Bishop and Jon Kenny.
In addition, the festival will once again be introducing a host of new comedy talent. 2003 Perrier Award winner Demetri Martin arrives with a mightily impressive raft of glowing press notices, as does the toast of the 2004 Aspen Comedy Festival, Zach Galifianakis. Caroline Rhea, the Canadian comic best known as Aunt Hilda Spellman from Sabrina The Teenage Witch, is also set to weave a bit of magic on her festival debut.
Ever a gloriously unpredictable weekend of comic adventure, one sure-fire certainty is this: Murphy’s Cat Laughs Festival will sell out fast. With this in mind, we herewith present the number for interested parties to contact vis-à-vis bookings and general information: 056-7763837.
See you there!