Mullingags festival promises free gigs and loads of laughs

Anyone who likes a laugh should make sure they’re around for the first weekend in September, as that’s when the Columbia Comedy Club present ‘Mullingags’ a festival of mainly free gigs and huge variety.

The organisers say their event is Mullingar’s first comedy festival, and it’s on September 3-6.

Columbia Bar have been hosting a weekly comedy club since 2016, and manager Ross Brunton, along with Bligh Jones, Diarmuid Kelly, and Alex J Byrne are now offering another chance for locals and comedy lovers to enjoy some laughs.

Alex has been involved with the comedy club since its inception around 10 years ago. He is a comedian and a Dublin man but he makes it clear that, “it’s like my second home”.

Alex outlined what attendees can expect from the weekend, and starts with the tagline, ‘Mulliingar’s first (and maybe last) comedy festival’.

He says it is unique in that it’s “for comedians, by comedians” and events are free except for one, which will feature Seamus Lehane.

“The first show we have is on Thursday night, an all female show in association with Mullingar Pride. On Friday we’ll have two shows, the first will be a gong show, where comedians perform and then the audience vote whether they like it or not.

“The comedian that wins will get to perform with Seamus Lehane on Saturday.”

The second event on Friday will provide an evening of dark comedy for those who prefer that genre.

“Then the early show on Saturday will be what’s called a roast battle, so we’ll pair comedians against each other and Ross will judge who wins each round. Then we’ll have Seamus Lehane and other comedians supporting him.

“On Sunday, we have only got one show, which we’re calling the free for all. Basically we opened the doors and say anybody who’s been with us or who wants to perform at the festival can just get up and perform.”

The festival began as an idea and thanks to the efforts for the four men mentioned earlier, it is shaping up to be a great weekend.

“Ross has been the driving force of the whole thing for over 10 years – there are a couple of other lads, Bligh and Diarmuid, who started working with us in the shows, they’ve been great as well.

“We’ll all be performing on different shows so we have six different shows over the four days and there’s a variety, but we’ll definitely be on stage at least once or twice.”

All in all, there’s something in it for everyone. “We want everybody to be able to say, even if you’re new, that there’s something for you. I know there’s lots of comedy festivals around Dublin and other counties, but we were like, let’s bring a festival right into the midlands, into the heart of Westmeath, in Mullingar.”

• Tickets at: eventbrite.com/cc/mullingags-comedy-festival-4858372.