Halloween in Galway is ‘Comedy Christmas’ as Galway Comedy Festival returns for the October Bank Holiday, taking over the City with a bumper line-up spanning international headliners, Irish comedy greats, and the best emerging talent on the circuit. Check out this year's line-up below..
Tommy Tiernan, Emma Doran, Dara Ó Briain, Deirdre O’Kane, Rhys Darby, Mike Wozniak, Serena Terry, Jack Dee, Georgie Carroll, Al Porter, David McSavage, and Emer Maguire lead the laughter at #GCF26 and you're not going to want to miss a second of it!
With 60 shows across 14 venues over 7 days and nights, and tickets going on sale at 10am this Tues 15th September, it’s time to start planning your annual week of ‘carefully curated craic’.
above: Rhys Darby
International comedy talent at #GCF26 features: New Zealand’s Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords, Our Flag Means Death), Australia’s fabulously filthy and hilarious Vanessa Larry Mitchell, and from our neighbouring island: British comedy legend Jack Dee, Taskmaster’s Mike Wozniak, and their madcap countrymen Spencer Jones & Terry Alderton.
Homegrown heavy hitters include Tommy Tiernan, Emma Doran, Dara Ó Briain, Ireland’s Queen of Comedy Deirdre O’Kane, the Godfather of Irish Comedy Barry Murphy, Serena Terry (Mammy Banter), Sharon Mannion, David McSavage & Andrew Maxwell; as well as swiftly-rising stars Shawn Uyosa, Sinéad Quinlan & Darren Gaffney.
In a fresh departure for the Festival, there will be three nights of theatre as part of #GCF26, with a third night just added for the smash hit comedy play The Kavanaghs: Married with Parents - written by Al Porter and Karl Spain. A hilarious new farce about Generation Stuck - starring Al Porter, Ryan Andrews, Aisling O’Neill, Phelim Drew, and comedians Willa White & Enya Martin.
above: Emer Maguire
For culture and craic, few places in Ireland can rival Galway, which for one week becomes the nation’s Comedy Capital. Expect nothing but fun from Danny O’Brien, Micky Bartlett, John Colleary, Bernard O’Shea, Taran O’Sullivan & Bernard Casey in mixed-bill shows bursting at the seams.
Amidst this October’s incoming smorgasbord are two comics who previously managed the near-impossible - impressing Simon Cowell, who declared New Jersey’s Maureen Langan as “so funny...fearless!” and hailed Aussie Georgie Carroll as "just brilliant". Meanwhile, Tyrone’s IMRO Award-winning Emer Maguire - described by the BBC as the “indie Victoria Wood” - returns to Galway this October following her sold-out Róisín Dubh debut during Galway Pride.
Galway Comedy Festival HQ & the home of comedy in the west, Róisín Dubh, will be the location for an array of mixed bills as well as solo shows from Tommy Tiernan, Spencer Jones’ Experimental Kids Show & Vanessa Larry Mitchell, and the world-class unscripted genius of The Improv All Stars. And, in a coup for #GCF26, the Festival presents the Irish Film Premiere screening of ‘Exiled In Ireland’. Starring Festival regulars Joe Rooney and Ian Coppinger, this is a comedy about three misfit priests who think God has exiled them while stranded on a retreat during lockdown.
above: Spencer Jones
Every night of #GCF26 at the Festival Club in Róisín Dubh, revellers can keep the fun whizzing into the wee hours - with live bands, club nights, and most importantly: The Late Night KARLnival with Karl Spain & special guests. For die-hard comedy fans, this is the essential, unmissable, institution of the Festival, where comedians can let loose, deliver their darkest material and push the boundaries of what their comedy can be.
Each year, Galway Comedy Festival’s programme showcases comedy of multiple genres and languages, including the dinner theatre smash-hit Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience; Irish-language gags at Gáire as Gaeilge le Eddie Mularkey, Paddy McDonnell, Seán Begley agus Aideen McQueen; and the trail of laughter that is the Comedy Club Crawls snaking their way around the city streets & venues in the afternoons. And stretching their programme even further, a debut for #GCF26 is Laughter Yoga - a genuinely interactive and contagious group activity which is silly, social and totally ridiculous.
above: Risteárd Cooper
At Pálás Cinema: podcast fans can dive into the smash-hit Weird Ireland Podcast where host Brinsley McNamara will provide insight into Ireland’s history with Halloween. Irish telly fans can catch solo shows from familiar faces Risteárd Cooper (Après Match), Martin Maloney (The Hardy Bucks) & The Stars of Father Ted with Joe Rooney, Patrick McDonnell & Kevin Gildea.
Galway Comedy Festival will also take part in Gaillimh Ah-Boo!, featuring a spooktacular programme of storytelling, cabaret, music, comedy and family entertainment.
As well as being a national festival, bringing international comedy stars to the city, #GCF26 is also very much a Galway festival, encouraging local talent and raising funds for two very worthy causes. As such, the third annual CroíACT (pronounced “Craic’d”) will see eight brave Galwegians - mentored by Karl Spain - step outside their comfort zone to deliver a stand-up comedy set for the very first time - and raise much-needed funds for Croí and ACT for Meningitis.
above: Emma Doran
Festival Director Kevin Healy said: “After more than 20 years, Galway is home to Ireland’s largest comedy Festival, and we are so proud that it takes place here in our lovely city, the unofficial home of the Arts in Ireland. You will see from the line-up that we have some amazing comedians coming west this year. That’s why we call it Comedy Christmas. There’s something about the concentration of talent and joy and laughter in our gorgeous city that just works. It’s brilliant for visitors, locals and the comedians just love it here. Please do enjoy the city and the line-up. Try a comedian, a venue or a show you’ve never heard of. I promise you that we have booked the very best talent available.”
Galway Comedy Festival are very grateful for the generous support of their Partners: The Department of Culture, Communications & Sport; Galway City Council; Gaillimh Ah-Boo!; Fáilte Ireland; Galway’s Latin Quarter; Róisín Dubh, the Festival’s Accommodation Partners; and the many local businesses who support the Festival through the Friends Of Comedy programme.
Full programme on sale 10am Tues 15 Sept from galwaycomedyfestival.ie
#GCF26 | Tues 20 - Mon 26 Oct | 80 Artists | 60 Shows | 14 Venues | 7 Days & Nights
All photos courtesy of Galway Comedy Festival
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