Louth Laughs welcomes 100th comedian

This month Louth Laughs will welcome its 100th comedian to the stage at the Tipsy Cow on Friday 26th April. 

The free monthly comedy night, started in July 2022, has been a roaring success with both comedians and audiences alike. 

The venue has welcomed comedians from all around the world and prides itself on providing a stage for seasoned professionals and newcomers alike. 

Kevin Gildea will be the 100th comedian to take to the stage. Kevin is best known for playing Father Cave in Father Ted and has been a stalwart on the comedy scene in Ireland since the 90's. 

This month's lineup is stacked with great acts, including Darren O'Toole, whose comedy will soon be streaming across America in a new Warner Brothers production.

Shinanne Higgins started the event in 2022 when she noticed a lack of comedy venues in Louth. 

"I started my comedy career when I lived abroad and when I returned home there were no local places that I could perform,” she said. 

“When I started Louth Laughs many local comedians came out of the woodwork, delighted that there was now a local venue providing a comedy stage.  

"I'm over the moon at the success of the club. It takes a lot of work and a great commitment from venues to ensure that comedy clubs remain running, so I am delighted that Louth Laughs has been able to reach this massive milestone".

Shinanne puts this down to ensuring that there is a high consistency of talent taking to her stage each month and also having support from The Tipsy Cow. 

"I might be biased, but there should be a comedy venue in every town and village in Ireland...and they should all be packed to the rafters. 

“Post Covid Ireland is exploding with comedy talent. 100 comedians is the tip of the iceberg. 

"Louth Laughs is a free comedy night and we have a regular crowd that keeps coming back! That's because they know that they are getting fantastic free entertainment from the best and funniest talent in the country.

"As a comedian, I perform all around Ireland and I get to see great acts, comedians that I know will make it big. I am delighted to be able to attract them to the town because Louth Laughs is becoming synonymous with great comedy, so comedians are willing to drive from all over Ireland to perform.” 

"Being a border town means we attract the best comedians both north and south of the border too".

Louth Laughs has brought some great local talent such as Lisa Casey, Elizabeth Redmond, Ellen O'Reilly, Jess Collins, Kevin Larney and Emer McGinnity. It also attracts many big named acts such as Craig Campbell,  Edwin Sammon, James Goldsbury, Joe Rooney, Joe Dowlin and Aideen McQueen. 

Shinanne began her comedy journey when she lived in Asia and first appeared on the Irish comedy scene just 2 years ago. 

So far this year, she has competed in the finals of Ireland's "Best New Act", "Ireland's Next Top Comic" and the prestigious "Toilet Duck Awards". 2024 is proving to be Shinanne's year as she has been offered her first solo show "10 Things They Hate About Me" at the Edinburgh Fringe show. 

She will also be co-running 3 mixed bill Irish line-up shows each day at the festival. Last year Shinanne ran 2 mixed bill shows in Edinburgh where she had various Irish comedians perform. 

Shinanne says that making connections in Edinburgh helped her to discover and attract some of the best up-and-coming acts to the Louth Laughs stage. 

"Performing in Edinburgh was a dream for me. It not only gave me the opportunity to perform over 50 gigs in a month, but it also gave me a newfound confidence in my performance and prepared me for the huge undertaking of my first solo show," she said. 

This year Shinanne plans to perform over 80 gigs at Edinburgh Fringe this August. 

Free tickets to Louth Laughs can be booked online on Eventbrite and the venue also allows walk-ins. 

Shinanne concludes: "I would recommend local comedy lovers follow the Louth Laughs Facebook page to check out our future lineups and book tickets. 

“We are going to be announcing some very exciting news and big names soon so you won't want to miss it!"