A mere handful of provincially based festivals have achieved national prominence. The International Rose of Tralee, the Galway Oyster Festival, Galway Races, Listowel Races and the Mary From Dungloe festivals come to mind.
These have one thing in common. They have the full support of local people, not just a few publicans and hoteliers who stand to gain most from them.
Add to this list an event of 31 years standing, Birr Vintage Week, which starts tomorrow.
According to Ms Olwyn Enright, chairwoman of the Birr Festive Society Ltd, that vital element of local support is alive and well in the Offaly town.
"The people of the town fully participate in the events we hold over the 10 days and that is what generates such a good atmosphere in the town," she said.
"People working in shops and offices dress up in period costume to come to work so the strong sense of community is reinforced.
"We have a lot of advantages here because we are at the foot of the Slieve Blooms and close to the banks of the Shannon. We are surrounded by natural beauty," she said. "The fact that Birr itself is a Heritage Town, with lovely Georgian streets and malls and the castle with its Historic Science Centre and Gardens, is more than half the battle.
"The whole ideas to recreate the atmosphere of Birr in the past. We endeavour to keep the vintage theme to the fore from the Georgian Society cricket match in period costume, to the Old Time Traditional Fair Day, to the Vintage Parade," she said.
"A great deal of effort goes into staging the event, which costs around £30,000 to set up, but it is certainly worth it from the town's point of view," Ms Enright said.
"While visitors come from all over Ireland and Europe, we know that local people, no matter where they are in the world, take holidays and come home from as far away as the US and Australia, for the festival," she said.
Highlights of the week are the Parade of Vintage Cars on Sunday 15th and the Fair Day on Saturday 14th.
Ms Enright said Birr was very proud of the Antique and Fine Arts Fair, held as part of the event, which is now in its 30th year, attracting buyers from abroad.
She said the society is expecting at least 5,000 visitors for the fireworks display on Thursday 18th and for the fun and games on the streets that evening.
There will be a millennium fly-in at the Ormond Flying Club on Sunday 22nd when more than 30 aircraft are expected. There will be concerts, band recitals, classical, folk and traditional music on the streets and in the pubs and theatre, lectures and musical competitions.
Only two groups of people are unwelcome over the next 10 days in Birr. The programme says: "No hawkers or ticket sellers al lowed", a notice I certainly have not seen anywhere for many years.