WHO’S LAUGHING NOW

After 15 years, the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Festival continues to draw the crowds – but it is not funny anymore, according to an extensive analysis in the Sunday Tribune. At a time when the country was never more in need of a few stone throwers, all our comics have gone soft – so says writer Enda McEvoy. Fattened by panel-show appearances and the sound of sycophantic laughter, Irish comedians became part of the entertainment establishment and the festival followed suit. McEvoy calls for a Jonathan Swift for our times: someone with the indignation and genuine anger to rescue Irish comedy and the Cat Laughs. Meanwhile, the festival runs from  June 3^rd to 7^th.