The streets of Enniscorthy have been jammed for the past three days - the small town has seen an influx of an estimated 140,000 people for Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, 1999.
Mr Labhras O Mhurchu, ard-stiurthoir of Ceomhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, said in the fleadh programme that the event would "comfort the ghosts of the past and bring forth a rich harvest from a scorched earth". Well, that's one way of putting it. In any event, it was an excellent weekend.
The fleadh may be big business, but it has remained the preserve of amateur performers (about 10,000 of them are believed to have arrived in the town), so there was no headline act. Instead, there was a multitude of contests and concerts running in 25 venues. By mid-morning on Saturday, the streets were alive with buskers and crowds (traffic was excluded from several areas). At Market Square, four musicians were sitting at the foot of the pikemen monument, providing the accompaniment for some impromptu set dancing.
The Guinness Gig Rig on on Abbey Square was a noisy focal point, with a steady stream of music and entertainment. Top of the bill on Saturday were the Drinagh Mummers. This group of 12 greying, middle-aged men came out decked in sashes and green conical hats. They danced in circles and struck "mumming sticks" together loudly.
"Twelve patriots they represent, who nobly fought to right their country's wrong," bellowed Mr Bernie Radford, chairman of the group. The dancing was interspersed with renditions of The Croppy Boy and Boulavogue, and, for some reason, a joke about Tom Jones.
The only non-Irish music came from a trio of Bolivians, who played a blend of Bolivian folk and pan-pipe moods. The various competitions ran smoothly enough, covering most forms of traditional performance (though Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann has yet to introduce categories for such traditional staples as bouzouki and guitar). Standards were high - even the under-12 ceili competition turned out to be enjoyable.
The contest for newly composed ballads was excellent, featuring a markedly diverse collection of songs (and only one reference to "brave Fenian men"). One man sang a moral tale which involved a woman knocking the head off a rooster with a hurley. Another sang about a past failure to win a ballad contest (leading him to "turn away from God").
One audience member stood out here - Maurice Foley is a robed, shaven-headed Hari Krishna from Wicklow who also happens to have won last year's sean nos contest. The Hari Krishnas are sceptical about his musical pursuits. He arranges Irish dancing classes for Hari Krishna children: "I'm brainwashing the kids with Irish music."
At night, the streets were jammed with buskers and drinkers as the pubs overflowed onto the streets. The more enterprising pubs set up stalls to sell cans of beer at exorbitant prices. There was a heavy Garda and Civil Defence presence, but despite all the drinking, gardai reported no trouble or arrests.
A weary musician sat eating a tub of ice-cream at the side of the street. The fleadh officially ran from Friday to yesterday, but he was adamant that "it only starts" today. "Once the crowds go, the proper music starts."