Drogheda’s first comedy festival Laugh out Louth
THE people behind Drogheda’s first ever comedy festival took to the streets recently to ask local residents what their favourite joke was.
Laugh Out Louth will take place in Drogheda at various locations around the town over the weekend of October 13th to 15th.
The much-anticipated festival will feature renowned Irish comic Deirdre O’Kane as well as special guests Joe Rooney, Eric Lalor and MC Micheal Kierans.
The voluntary organising committee for the festival were in the centre of town last weekend asking locals to tell them a joke. As well as passers by, the group also spoke to a number of local politicians and well known characters. The videos are currently available to view on the festival’s Facebook page.
The first ever comedy festival to take place in Drogheda, Laugh Out Louth has been produced by a local voluntary committee and has been created to raise awareness of mental health issues in our community (especially male mental health) through comedy.
All proceeds raised through the event will go to the Drogheda branch of The Samaritans and all the performers taking part are giving their time for free.
The festival will culminate with a show at Droichead Arts Centre featuring one of Ireland’s top stand-up comics making a return to Drogheda after two sell out shows in 2016, Deirdre O Kane. She is accompanied by well-known comic Eleanor Tiernan.
Psychotherapist Bairbre Kelly, one of those involved in organising the event, explained how the idea for the festival came about.
‘We had a physical and mental health seminar in Drogheda last year with Bressie and that was a huge success but I was really concious of the imbalance between male and female who came, it was mostly female. So I thought how can we get men talking about their mental health and I thought comedy because comedy is something Irish people are good at and relate to,’ said Bairbre.