Galway Comedy Festival reveals packed line-up for next month’s event

The festival has announced a starry line-up that is filled with Irish and UK comedians.

The event has revealed a "70-strong line-up of international stars, homegrown comedy greats and emerging talent" that will play 69 shows across 16 venues between Tuesday, 21 and Monday, 27 October.

Part of the line-up as well is Liverpool’s viral comedy sensation Paul Smith. This is along with several other Irish comedians, including Al Porter, Andrew Maxwell, Aoife Dunne, Barry Murphy, David McSavage, Karl Spain, Paddy McDonnell and Rachel Galvo.

Anna Clifford, Bernard Casey, Danny O’Brien, John Colleary, Kai Humphries, Micky Bartlett, Sinéad Quinlan and Tom Rhodes will also be a part of the festival, playing mixed-bill shows.

Though the line-up will be performing across Galway city and county, the centre of activity will be Pálás Cinema.

"This unique cultural space will become the festival mothership for an entire week - and a little bit more. This means tonnes of live comedy, in unrivalled comfort and style, across three plush rooms," the organisers said in a statement.

Róisín Dubh, the home of comedy in the west, will also be the location for an array of solo shows and mixed bills.

Revellers can choose to close out their evenings in the venue as well, with live bands and club nights at the Bulmers Festival Club. These include Silent Disco, Steve n’ Seagulls, John Conneely Inc. and Brogeal.

The Galway Comedy Festival features much more than stand-up; there are classic sitcom events such as Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience and the Stars of Father Ted, with Joe Rooney, Patrick McDonnell, and Kevin Gildea.

The Festival also offers Irish language comedy with Gaire as Gaeilge, hosted by Hector Ó hEochagáin, and Polish stand-up from Aleksandra Radomska.

Podcast fans, meanwhile, can have their laughter immortalised at the live recordings of Keep It Tight, hosted by Deirdre O’Kane and Emma Doran, Eejits Of The World, hosted by Andrew Maxwell and Glenn Wool, Creep Dive and How To Gael.

The festival will also showcase a huge variety of comedic art forms including the return of CRoiACT, where eight brave souls try standup for the very first time.

As well as this, there is WOMP Events’ Great Big Big Screen Quiz; screenings of comedy classics; poetry with Jan Brierton, and "so much more".

Tickets for the Galway Comedy Festival go on sale at 10am on Tuesday, 16 September.

To get tickets or to see the full festival programme, visit the event's website here.