Kilkenny gears up for 30,000 festival goers

The State's leading comedy event, Kilkenny's Cat Laughs Festival, begins this evening and is expected to attract up to 30,000 visitors to the city.

Festival producer Lynn Cahill, who helped to found the event 12 years ago, says Kilkenny is now established as "the world's third leading comedy festival after Edinburgh and Montreal".

About 90 live shows will take place at 14 venues over the next five days. A temporary workforce of 100 contract staff is being assisted by 100 volunteers.

Ms Cahill says comedians enjoy coming to Kilkenny because the festival is regarded as "artistic and not commercial". They appreciate the intimate venues, interaction with audiences and the fact that there are no prizes, awards or filming of shows.

Organisers have dropped a pictorial cat from festival literature (though its tail survives) as the image was thought to appeal to children while the festival, sponsored by Smithwick's ale, is geared exclusively to adults.

International comedians, including Dom Irrera and Rich Hall from the US and Britain's Jimmy Carr, will join Irish performers including Ardal O'Hanlon and Des Bishop.

First-timers at the festival include controversial American comedian Doug Stanhope, whose performances at Edinburgh have caused walk-outs among audiences. The festival has spawned a series of fringe events which include Kitty Flicks, the screening of over 30 short comedy films, and Cat Walk, a series of specially commissioned art installations on the city streets.

All hotels, guest-houses, B&Bs, hostels and camp-sites in Kilkenny are fully booked but last-minute arrivals can contact the ticket office to avail of an unofficial accommodation service offered by Kilkenny residents who are renting out spare rooms in their homes. Organisers said that 75 per cent of tickets had already been sold.