When Lisdoon came to Dublin 4

At one stage the queue for the bar at Saturday's Lisdoonvarna gig in the RDS was so long that thirsty music fans were forced to travel to Meath to join it - well, almost.

But waiting for 30 minutes for the opportunity to pay €5 for the one brand of lager in stock (in a plastic cup) didn't put the downers on most people.

This was Lisdoonvarna, albeit in Dublin 4, and it was all about just one thing, Irish music. Long before Christy Moore took to the stage in the main arena after nightfall those who had forked out up to €63 for a ticket had got value for money.

The Frames DC, whose status on the live circuit is now firmly in cult territory, kicked off their set with the anthemic Revelate, instantly whipping the young punters into a frenzy.

The surprise of the day came in the shape of Damian Dempsey, who strutted his stuff on the support stage, away from the main arena. The crowd's reaction to the 27-year-old singer-songwriter from Donaghmede, Dublin, suggested it may not be too long before he moves up the bill at major festivals. His political tracks, sung in the thickest Dublin accent you're ever likely to hear, don't tickle everybody's fancy, but complaints were pretty thin on the ground by the time he had wrapped up.

The Big Show was, of course, Christy Moore. Thousands poured into the RDS in the hour before he took to the stage, preferring to linger in the pubs of Ballsbridge rather than catch any of the other talent on show throughout the day.

When he walked on to the stage the cheer would have taken the roof off the Simmonscourt Pavilion, if it had a roof. And in fairness Christy gave as good as he always does, belting out the tunes in his inimitable style.