THE rain may have poured on Fleadh Cheoil an hEireann, but bad weather makes good drinking weather and the crowds who flocked to Listowel this weekend did not let the showers dampen their spirits.
More than 100,000 people packed into the north Kerry town for a feast of traditional music and craic. The sessions could be heard from every doorway as musicians gathered from every corner of the world to swap tunes, songs and stories.
In packed halls around the town, more than 3,500 people took part in the fleadh competitions. Standards were higher than ever, according to officials. Competition was tougher than usual, say the musicians who took part in the events.
On the streets, youngsters busked between stalls selling fleadh T shirts and memorabilia. Not only children had their faces painted cartoonists were on hand to paint their parents.
"If you want to be a failure in life, you should be one in Listowel, we'll still value you here," said a local shop owner, Danny Hannon, trying to explain the culture of the town.
"It's a laidback kind of place where music and craic are far more important than commercialism. That's what makes this the ideal home for the fleadh."
Listowel has hosted the festival 12 times already, but next year it will go to either Kilkenny or Ballina.
The Fleadh Cheoil had plenty of competition from other festivals around Kerry this weekend, but despite the Rose of Tralee and the Dingle Regatta, crowds were up on last year.
As rain caused disruption at the Festival of Kerry in Tralee, Listowel was bracing itself for a new influx of fun seekers last night. "They've no soakage at all in Tralee," the fleadh PRO mocked. "We are made of much stronger stuff around here."
One would have to be made of strong stuff to survive the fleadh. Although it is officially a three day event, the music, drinking and dancing will continue well into next week.
At the fleadh office a poster shows the price list for drink during the 1972 event. A pint of Guinness was l8p, but an increase of more than tenfold has not put customers off. Millions of pounds worth of drink has already been consumed this week. The fleadh is estimated to be worth £7 million to the town in all.
One Listowel man who has had to abstain form the black stuff is Willie Guiney, who is competing in the World Hill Running Championships next week.
"I love the fleadh, you'd find no better man to enjoy the craic and I'm always good for a song, but I'm on the dry this weekend," he said, as his friends supped with gusto beside him. "But you have to make sacrifices and there'll always be another fleadh."
As the marching bands paraded through the town, the head of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann gave his verdict on this year's event. "It has been a brilliant Fleadh Cheoil. The magic of Listowel has surfaced again. The town's innate hospitality puts it up front when it comes to fleadh venues."