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comedy · Friday 18 September 2026 · 8:30pm 
Risteard Cooper: Out of His Head
At Kavanaghs Bar and Venue · 28 Main Street, Portlaoise, Co. Laois
At Kavanaghs Bar and Venue · 28 Main Street, Portlaoise, Co. Laois
Risteard Cooper, co-creator of RTE’s Apres Match and one of Ireland’s best-known impressionists, plays Kavanaghs Bar and Venue in Portlaoise on Friday, 18 September 2026, with his solo show Out of His Head. The show mixes sharp impressions, character sketches and absurdist material, drawing on the observational style that made Apres Match a fixture of Irish sports broadcasting satire for over two decades.
A full solo stand-up set built from impressions and sketch characters rather than straight club comedy, moving between political, sporting and cultural figures alongside Cooper’s own invented characters. Cooper has toured solo shows across Ireland and the UK since stepping back from regular Apres Match duties, and Out of His Head is built for a live room rather than television, with more room to improvise and play off the crowd than a scripted broadcast slot allows. Kavanaghs on Main Street has become one of the main stops for touring comedy and music in Laois, running a steady programme of stand-up nights alongside its live music bookings, so expect a properly run room with real sound and lighting rather than a pub back room gig.
Kavanaghs Bar and Venue is at 28 Main Street in the centre of Portlaoise, a short walk from Portlaoise train station, which has frequent services on the Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Limerick lines. Public parking is available around the town centre.
Portlaoise is the county town of Co. Laois and has plenty of options for food and a drink before or after the show.
Heading to Kavanaghs Bar and Venue in Portlaoise? Laois has plenty more to see. Read the Portlaoise area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.