Co Tipperary's arts festival grows more ambitious every year. Jim Carroll previews the latest extravaganza in Clonmel

David Teevan chuckles when he recalls the Junction Festival's first run-out in Clonmel back in 2001. "It was little more than four theatre shows, one comedian and a few sessions after each show. At the end of it, people came up to us, said it was great and asked when it was on the next year. We didn't even know that there had to be a next year."

But there was a next year, and one after that and one after that as well. The Clonmel Junction Festival has firmly established itself as one of the rising stars on Ireland's summer trail and now takes over Clonmel for a week or so every summer. For festival-goers it's a chance to gorge on theatre, music, dance and art. For Teevan the director, it's proof of his belief that there was an audience for a festival of this ilk in the Co Tipperary town.

He estimates that they'll sell 12,500 tickets for this year's events. "At the first festival, there was probably 200 people who went to absolutely everything. It was like a little club and people were getting to know each other. But every year, the festival has doubled in size and attendance, so this year I've had to restrain it because it was literally bursting at the seams."

One problem has been a lack of suitable venues for events. "Clonmel is one of the few towns which has not invested in a municipal theatre," Teevan says. "The town fathers are very supportive of the festival and are very generous in providing public facilities for our use. However, I would hope the success of the festival would act as a stimulus for them to set up a space here because it's long overdue. There is a wonderful audience in Clonmel and a great tradition of amateur theatre in the area too."

This lack of a theatre to programme shows all year round means people "go mad and go out every night" during the festival. "One of the functions of the festival is to bring shows here which are stimulating, challenging and exciting, shows that don't come here usually."

Amongst the theatre shows hitting Clonmel in July are Tall Tales Theatre Company's production of Wallflowering from Australia; I Miss Communism, Croatian performer Ines Wurth's all-singing, all-dancing one-woman show; and the improvised plotting of Doublethink from London's Rotozazza company.

The Junction has always featured a comprehensive music section, and this year's attractions on that score include a collaboration between legendary folkies Odetta and Liam Clancy; performances from Ballyporeen lass Gemma Hayes and the excellent Duke Special; as well as acts from Poland, Germany and France.

Other festival attractions sure to attract an audience include footie funnymen Après Match and a mini Polish festival. "There are about 1,000 Poles living in Clonmel, so we looked at ways of involving them", says Teevan. This fest-within-the-fest will include rock band T Love ("they're like the Polish Aslan or Frames"), contemporary dance show Magnolia, and folk band Dikanda.

The festival's rapid growth in size, scope and stature means more and more people are becoming aware of what Teevan and his team are doing in Clonmel.

"The Kilkenny and Galway arts festivals are still the benchmarks in this country," he says, "but we're one of the next generation of festivals. These would be the five to 10 other festivals which have emerged in recent years, like Errigal in Donegal, the Festival of World Cultures in Dún Laoghaire, Spraoi in Waterford, Cork's Midsummer Festival and ourselves."

Teevan's own must-see events this year are as diverse as you would expect.

"I think the Nofit State Circus is one of the most stunning shows I've ever seen. It's on a scale the town has never seen before. We've went into a partnership with Cork's Midsummer Festival, Errigal, Draoícht in Blanchardstown and the British Council to them over."

He's also excited about South Korean percussion troupe Dulsori. "I saw them at the WOMAD festival last year and fell in love with them. They play percussion, do martial acrobatics and loads of clowning around. It's mesmerising, a real exotic family spectacular."

An important role for the festival is to find "new ways to embrace the wider community," and Teevan sees their Participation programme as key in this regard.

"We run it in schools and with community groups. This year, for instance, we have an artist working with early school leaver groups and active retirement groups to make 20 flags which will form a forest of flags on the town bypass for the duration of the festival."

The Clonmel Junction Festival takes place from July 1st to 9th in Clonmel, Co Tipperary. www.junctionfestival.com