I thought I was going to be at Kilkenny’s Sky Cat Laughs Festival this weekend, but some of the more boring bits of real life got in the way. I thought I wouldn’t be too bothered. But then I started reading Secret Kilkenny and began to grind my teeth at the thought of missing Cat Laughs 2014.
The book, by Tim Clark and Andrew Mickel of website Such Small Portions, is the sort-of sequel to their Secret Edinburgh book which came out last summer. Kilkenny might be smaller and might only have been running for the last two decades, but it doesn’t mean there isn't a plethora of stories to tell, many of them involving a mix of comedy, alcohol and Johnny Vegas. In fact Vegas’ exploits get a whole chapter to themselves. I was at his legendary Kilkenny gig in the local ceramics gallery where he had his potter's wheel and did his own gloriously messy version of that scene in Ghost. Not surprisingly Vegas is one of the many comedians who says that Cat Laughs is one of their favourite festivals.
This book is a great recommendation for one of the finest festivals in the world, which has had plenty of stars over the years, but none of the hype and stress of Edinburgh. I've seen the likes of Daniel Kitson, Ross Noble and the late Mitch Hedberg playing tiny clubs and bars. To its credit Kilkenny still doesn’t hand out a Foster’s-type prize, so the comedians feel under a lot less pressure. There are no minders, few publicists and agents. The big names are happy to just hang out with the punters. You can read here about Bill Murray and Zach Galafianakis visiting and Woody Harrelson doing yoga in a local pub.
The 224 page book is frequently more like an extended love letter to comedy. It includes contributions from many performers who have played the Cat Laughs, from Jason Byrne and Ardal O’Hanlon to George Wendt, Cat Laughs legend Dom Irrera and Harland Williams. It is well-illustrated too. There are lots of photos of big names in their early innocent days, from Reg Hunter to Dara O’Briain. You should buy the book just to find out who fell off the stage while naked.
If you can’t make it to Kilkenny this year this is the next best thing. Heck, just reading about the antics at the annual Ireland Versus The Rest Of The World football match – imagine the World Cup with the players suffering from sleep deprivation and post-gig hangovers – makes me want to drop everything and get over there. I’m already counting the days until Cat Laughs 2015.
Order Secret Kilkenny here. You can also buy it in shops in Kilkenny. If you are there lucky you – here's the festival line-up.
