Undeterred, those behind the festival continued on, albeit without their once substantial funding. "We went 10 years without a sponsor which meant it was a more low-key affair by comparison to the festivals of the 80s. But we continued to enjoy it and we felt that it was important to continue as it represents the music and dance of this city. Cork has always had a huge interest in folk music and this was a way to show that."

After 10 years of 'low-key' Folk Festivals, Willie along with Chairman Jim Walsh and the team of enthusiasts that make the event possible, decided to once again raise the profile. In order to do so they needed to get organised and find funding to make the Folk Festival commercially viable. "We looked into grants and funding. It took us a while to figure out the legal aspect, but we got it done in the end. It's been great for the festival which has gone from strength to strength in recent years. It's now run like a company in a way, and it requires six months of flat out work next to our day jobs (Willie is a Dental Surgeon). But really it's the love of the music that keeps us going. We needed to upskill in order to keep it going.

"I mean, it's all well and good being passionate about something, but if you don't manage it right anything can happen. Look at Cork City FC for example. How did they get into that situation? We've learned the importance of planning adequately and in advance."

That planning has led to the festival being moved to October for its own benefit. "September's not been a great time for staging a festival for some time now, so this is something we've been planning for a while now. It's been getting more and more difficult in recent years. We can get a better calibre of artists for October so we decided to make the move. The festival is getting stronger all the time and this will help it further."