It’s a dead funny place for a rock festival...

Good grief — a funeral home is set to rock to live music and comedy over the next two weekends as one of Ireland’s quirkiest festivals kicks off.

Headline acts including Brendan Grace and Damien Dempsey are among the star attractions at the Rocky Mayhem festival in Kilfinane — tucked high up in the Ballyhoura mountains in Co Limerick.

But it’s the venue which sets this festival apart, with the gigs being staged in a 1,200-capacity marquee which will be erected in a paved yard alongside Henry McCarthy’s funeral home.

“It’s normally the area where mourners queue up before going in to the funeral home to pay their last respects,” said a festival spokesperson.

“But for these two weekends, the mud-free venue and the top-class line-up help this little festival beat the biggest festivals in Ireland on atmosphere, location and particularly price.”

Tickets are priced from €20, with camping available in the village for just €5. And festival organisers have pulled off a major coup by securing Meteor award-winning The Riptide Movement, who will arrive fresh from their Glastonbury gig.

The non-profit festival is run by a committee of locals, including a butcher, a builder, a nun and a graphic designer.

Local farmers do security, while the town’s pubs will take turns manning the fully-stocked marquee bar.

Comedian Brendan Grace opens the third annual staging of the Rocky Mayhem festival tonight, with Damien Dempsey headlining on Jun 29, supported by The Riptide Movement and The Cast of Cheers.

Tickets are available at www.rockymayhem.ie or the RockyMayhem Kilfinane Facebook page.

- www.ontheqt.ie or www.ballyhoura.ie