Irish Lords ready to strut their stuff for world title

Two Irish comedy acrobats say they are ready to strut their stuff like they’ve never strutted before in a bid to become world champions on home turf this weekend.

The Lords of Strut — Cian Kinsella (aka Sean-tastic) and Cormac Mohally (aka Famous Séamus) — will fly the flag for Ireland at the finals of the Laya Healthcare Street Performance World Championship which takes place on Cork’s St Patrick’s St this weekend.

It will be a dream-come-true for the spandex-leotard wearing Cork-based duo who were forced to pull out of the event three years ago after Cian broke an ankle in an accident.

But after storming the Glastonbury festival, and despite another last-minute knee ligament injury to Cian, the boys famous for their disco ball hot-pants and mobile trolley sound system said they are match-fit and ready to strut.

“The injury three years ago was a disaster and put our whole season back for a while,” Cian said. “But it forced us to go over to Australia and work there, which helped extend our stage run by three months.”

The Lords of Strut will face off against street performers from Japan, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and the US, including contortionist Alakazam The Human Knot, who claims to have “more bends than an Irish country road”.

The audience will be invited to participate in the Ministry of Silly Ideas section at the northern end of the street, where custard pie throwing will feature.

The event takes place between noon and 8pm tomorrow and Sunday with road closures, diversions and changes to bus routes. St Patrick’s St will be closed to traffic for the event.

See www.spwc.ie or on the Laya Healthcare Facebook page.

- Millstreet Country Park in Co Cork is hosting what it is calling ‘Ireland’s first bug fest’ this weekend.

Young explorers will be encouraged to catch creepy crawlies and insects and learn fascinating facts from ecologist Lorna O’Mahony. Admission is €20 per car with details from www.millstreetcountrypark.com.

- The Cardiac Support Group — North Cork is organising a fun walk on Monday. Participants are asked to meet at Dessie Fitzgerald’s car park, Mallow, at 7.45pm to register, and the walk will begin at 8pm. There will be a choice of three different walks from 2km to 6km.

- The 15th annual vintage festival takes place on Sunday at Cullen GAA Club’s ground from 1pm. In aid of Cullen and District Special Needs Association, the vintage day will feature displays of vintage tractors, cars, motorcycles and engines, as well as a threshing demonstration, and live music including Richie Kavanagh.

- The second Clonakilty Random Acts of Kindness Festival gets under way today, with organisers claiming places as far away as Oklahoma in the US are considering taking on the idea.

Last year’s inaugural event, which featured kindness zones around the West Cork town, attracted international attention and last year was endorsed via Twitter by actress Goldie Hawn.

For a full list of events see http://www.raokclon.com/]ww.raokclon.com and on Twitter @ClonRAOKFest