Nine years ago the seaside town of Youghal in east Cork decided that it had to do something. The once vibrant holiday resort - which lost its vital rail connection to Cork many years ago - was in decline.
With poor weather prospects and not much infrastructure, the townspeople decided that an initiative was necessary.
A committee was established to look at what might make Youghal attractive again, and one of the organisers, Mr Tim Smith, together with other enthusiasts, established the Youghal Premier International Busking Festival.
It was aimed at bringing as many people to the town over the August Bank Holiday weekend as possible and since its inception it has been a resounding success.
Youghal has a population of 8,500 people but since last Friday, when the ninth festival was opened, it has been attracting up to 2,000 extra visitors a day. The Busking Festival has been widened to include street theatre and live acts, ensuring that accommodation is at a premium in the town. "If we had twice as much accommodation, it would be full," Mr Smith said. "When we started this festival, we knew that something would have to be done if Youghal was not going to be passed by by the tourists.
"The scene in Ireland is that if you live in Donegal you look towards the south to see what is going on and if you are from the south you look to the northwest and areas like that to see what might be attractive. In other words, it is about the movement of people - and if you haven't anything to make them stay in your patch, they will move on," he said.
The festival has a distinctly street feel to it and it is bringing in people from as far away as South Africa as well as from the United States and Britain.
Over the nine years, people who have enjoyed the lively atmosphere in Youghal have booked their holidays to be present in the town during the August bank holiday weekend and have become faithful followers.
Mr Smith said its popularity was also now attracting many Youghal emigrants back to their native town for the festival and that it was continuing to grow.
While busking is the mainstay of the event, the side-show entertainment is now becoming increasingly attractive. Tonight eight buskers who have reached the final of this year's competition will compete on stage for the top prize of £800. And when this year's festival is over a video of the event, showing Youghal as a premier tourist destination, will be prepared and shown in the Brittany resort of Lamour Plage, with which Youghal is twinned.
Mr Smith said the video would lead to even greater numbers in the town for next year's August bank holiday weekend.