MC TR crosses the Boyne for a Swift roast

DONOHOE'S DRIFT: Sparks were flying at the launch of the Púca Festival

“We are not amused!” Queen Victoria probably never said, but our own Royal leader, the cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, Tommy Reilly, certainly let it be known he wasn’t terribly impressed with the sense of humour of a Dublin comedian at the launch of the Púca Festival in Trim last week.

On Wednesday, the great and good of Meath County Council, Boyne Valley Tourism, Failte Ireland, and various events management companies gathered in the shiny new Swift Cultural Centre in the town to launch the 2023 Halloween shenanigans.

The cathaoirleach was in flying form for his stint on the stage. In fact, he had obviously been watching Paddy Kielty’s comedy roasting spot at the start of the Late Late Show, and got some ideas.

“I’m delighted to be here in this beautiful theatre here in Trim,” he declared.

“We have one in Navan too, thank God, because everything else seems to be in Trim. And with the former manager and present manager, there will probably be more.”

Who said the Navan-Trim rivalry was dead?

He even had a go at the neighbouring wee county when paying tribute to Boyne Valley Tourism: “Although thank God Louth has nothing to do with this festival.”

Emma Doran, the comedian asked to launch the festival, had her own take on the name of the theatre.

“When I heard it first, I thought it was the Shift Centre,” she told the audience, who laughed anyway, as they were the ones who had booked her. “I thought, finally, the arts are doing something I’m interested in.”

Then, there was a peculiar story about a neighbourhood WhatsApp group and a strange black car doing the rounds of her estate one Halloween during lockdown, and a neighbour looking for a wheelbarrow at 9.30pm at night. Followed by a tale of buying a car with two different number plates, a Garda check point near Tallaght, where the male Garda who stopped her had a “camogie player’s arse” and was actually good-looking for a guard.

“You begin panicking and wonder did you buy a bag of coke in Lidl that morning. Am I hammered?”

Clearly, the Tallaght humour was different to the Trim humour.

But the cathaoirleach was willing to give her a second chance.

"I think it will be a great weekend, and a great Halloween, and I’m looking forward to coming back to hear Emma again – because that dry wit she has, you would want to be very understanding to laugh at it. So maybe she’ll have brightened up a bit by then.”

Back on stage for MC duties, Emma clearly was bedazzled by the brightness of the cathaoirleach’s chain.

“That was short and sweet,” she decided. “Tommy will be performing later tonight with his rap – Bling Bling Gangsta Life.”

The night finished with fireworks.