You'll laff your pears off

TONY CLAYTON-LEApreviews the picks of this year's Galway Comedy Festival

BIG OAKS FROM little acorns and all of that. What began as a small comedy event five years ago (as the then Galway Comedy Festival) has now bloomed, blossomed and Bulmered into the type of chucklefest where big names want to play (and do).

There’ll be enough comedians around, that’s for sure: from the heavy hitters and comedy sketch groups/troupes to the lesser known but soon-to-be bigger names. In short, there’ll be something for everyone in the audience; here’s for a round up of the best of the jest.

Apres GleeDuke Special oversees the music end of things at the festival Club in Galway's premier live music venue, Róisín Dubh. Duke (aka Peter Wilson) is totally the guy for this kind of thing.

Dead Cat BounceDublin based comedy group specialising in spoof tunes that run the gamut from hip-hop slow jams and metal power ballads to '80s stadium rock anthems and folk. Think The Darkness fused with Billy Connolly. In tight trousers.

Neil DelamereEdenderry's loss is our gain, as comedian Delamere delivers an unadorned show where he touches upon what can only be described as life's bookmarks: first kiss, first shag, first smartphone....

Faulty TowersDining Experience Oh, we like the sound of this – enjoying a healthy evening meal in nice surroundings. But what's this? A snob hotelier called Basil? His shrewish wife, Sybil? A well- intentioned but inept waiter called Manuel? It can mean only one thing: chaos amidst the cutlery!

4 Poofs and a PianoOne of their revue shows was called Never Mind the Botox.

Rich HallNorth Carolina comic who started off performing impromptu sketches for street crowds in the late 1970s, graduated to TV, and is now one of the most highly regarded and literate comedians.

Joker PokerFour comedians walk into a bar, get wired for sound, made-up for television screens, and start into a midnight poker game. The stakes are high, the cider is on tap, and the jokes are wild. And there's no such thing as a straight face in this game.

Andrew MaxwellRaised in Kilbarrack, but now living in London, Maxwell has, over the past 20 years, built up a fierce reputation for blending strongly expressed (and not always popular) opinions with the kind of gags that make you laugh first and think after. Prepare for several sharp intakes of breath at this one. Did he really say that? Yes, he did.

Tim MinchinThe actor/comedian, who, in a certain light, might be mistaken for Duke Special.

Dylan MoranThe Co Meath comedian/actor whose surreal, observational shows are the stuff of semi-legend.

Barry MurphyBetween his performances on Après Matchand his own stand-up gigs (which pivot around original characters/alter egos and a quickfire wit), Murphy, similar to Stacey's mom, perhaps, has got it goin' on.

Colin MurphyNorthern Irish funny guy who is often more barbed and satiric than you would think. With a substantial television profile (The Blizzard of Odd, The Unbelievable Truth, The Panel), Murphy often undermines his family-friendly TV style with frank and graphic content. One for the connoisseurs, perhaps?

David O'DohertyThrough a mixture of oddness and charm O'Doherty has, slowly but surely, bridged the gap between cult engagement and mainstream acceptance. There's a casual, innate cleverness about him that makes him stand out from the average.

Ardal O'HanlonAside, maybe, from Rich Hall, Tim Minchin and Dylan Moran, O'Hanlon is the best-known name in the festival. Although he will forever be associated with Father Ted, he is probably the best lateral-thinker comedian you'll ever see in Galway on October 28th.

RubberbanditsFollowing on from their debut "dirty rave" at this year's Electric Picnic, this singular Irish phenomenon (can more than 20 million YouTube viewers and 100,000 iTunes downloaders be wrong?) bring their Hallowe'en Dirty Rave to the City of the Tribes for the first time. Not the last, either, by all accounts.