Flat Lake Festival

Hilton Park, Clones, Co Monaghan Fri-Sun 1pm €100/€80/€45/€35 theflatlakefestival.com

“Showbands Shakespeare” is the nominal strapline for this always different, always entertaining culture and arts festival (co-devised by Kevin Allen and Pat McCabe) in Co Monaghan. There’s comedy (Chris Morris and Jerry Sadowitz, possibly Ronnie Corbett, debating why comedy isn’t taking risks); there’s theatre (The Wire’s Dominic West reading sonnets); there’s visual art (Dorothy Cross and her unfeasibly good installations); and there is – here, Dympna, we experience gaels of laughter – music.

We chuckle with joy because the festival has managed to put together the clotted cream of Irish showband singers (Brendan Bowyer, Philomena Begley, Kathy Durkin, Larry Cunningham) in tandem with Crystal Swing and – heaven forefend! – Lily Allen. Frankly, a mash-up of Lily, Crystal Swing and The Hucklebuck is something we'd sell our mint 1967 copy of Val Doonican Rocks, But Gentlyto hear.

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