RIP: Kilkenny festival organisers pay tribute to Eamonn Langton's ‘extraordinary vision’
The Kilkenny businessman was a trailblazer in the hospitality trade
Organisers of the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Festival have paid a warm tribute to Eamonn Langton, who died earlier today (Wednesday).
Mr Langton, a Freeman of Kilkenny City, was a leader in the hospitality industry nationwide, with the renowned ‘Langtons’ brand known far and wide.
“We are terribly sad to hear of the death of Eamonn Langton,” a spokesperson for The Cat Laughs Festival wrote in tribute.
“Eamonn’s name may not be immediately familiar to everyone in Irish comedy, but his impact on it is probably greater than many people will ever know.
“When The Cat Laughs was little more than an idea in Kilkenny in 1995, Eamonn backed it. He helped fund that very first festival and, over the years that followed, was always there with venues, rooms and, very often, a solution when we badly needed one. There might have been a Cat Laughs without Eamonn Langton, but we wouldn’t bet on it,” they continued.
“The Cat Laughs went on to become part of the fabric of Irish comedy, a place where generations of Irish comedians performed, met each other, made friends and shared stages with some of the best comics in the world. Without it, Irish comedy over the last 30 years might have unfolded rather differently.
Mr Langton’s ‘extraodinary vision’ was also hailed by festival organisers.
“In many ways, it was typical of Eamonn and his extraordinary vision for Kilkenny. His eyes were always firmly on the wider world, but he had an instinctive understanding of the place and its people. And he didn’t just have ideas himself. He had a great instinct for other people’s ideas too — and, crucially, was prepared to back them when nobody really knew if they were going to work. The Cat Laughs was one of those.
“Eamonn was there before there was a festival, before there was a success story — when it was simply an idea and needed somebody to believe in it. He did,” the spokesperson added.
“Our thoughts are with the Langton family and everyone in Kilkenny who knew and loved him. RIP Eamonn.”