I'm writing this just hours after returning from Ballyshannon, and still high from the last few nights (and possibly drunk), so you'll have to excuse the numerous adjectives I'm about to lavish on it. But really, it was that good.

Put simply, the weekend rocked. The musicianship was outstanding, the bands dedicated and the people fantastic. What's more, apart from the late (post-11:30pm) gigs, everything was free. At any one time there was anything from 2-7 other events on, from exhibitions, to acoustic sessions, from movie screenings to workshops.

The whole party started on Thursday night but thanks to some misguided examination timetabling by a strictly non-Rocker exam board, yours truly didn't arrive until Friday evening.

Swapping the Crusades and Magna Carta for Guinness and Cradle Rock proved an exceptionally easy transfer and the first band I saw properly was Defender (Scotland). Not a bad introduction to my first RG festival, they almost blew the roof off the pub we were in. Indeed, one of the great things about the weekend was the fact that you could watch a band in a very intimate setting, then another in a large outdoor gig, another in a large hall and yet others just outside on the steps of the shopping centre,

Afterwards, we went to Dorian's Hotel with its large hall to watch Sinnerboy (Manchester) regarded by many as being THE premier RG tribute band, which they then proceeded to prove. More about them later though. They were supported by Section 3 (Donegal) who played an extra loud cover of Zep's 'Rock n' Roll', as well as songs by bands like Cream.

On Saturday, we went to see the guitar blues session with Brian Meakin (Wicklow). This actually proved to be a nice 'break,' with easy-on-the-ear jazz and blues numbers interspersed with a bit of history and technique by Meakin.

After dropping into one of the exhibitions, and viewing some original records, posters, and letters etc, by the man himself (not to mention being personally serenaded by one of the guitarists from Raw Gallagher), we headed to the main gig of the night. With a total of 11 events going on, we weren't exactly stuck for choice and opted for the mighty 'The Loop' (Germany), who had previously played here 2 years ago. They had the advantage of having a front man who looked and acted the same way as Rory Gallagher. It also went in their favour that they were quite brilliant. In one of the many highlights of the weekend, they proceeded to blast chord after chord, solo after solo (after solo), on a packed house. They were amazing, note perfect and they played from around 9:30 until around 12:30 with just one break. Three times they finished up, and three times they came back with the crowd baying for more.

You could tell every band loved being up there and playing in tribute. Honestly, we didn't see any dodgy or second-rate acts the entire weekend. Each group knew the songs inside out and not only that, loved them. The crowds in turn flocked to each event, a mixture of old and young alike. Rest assured, when some of the more 'mature' rockers at the festival eventually stop making the pilgrimage, there will be more than enough to carry it on for years to come. There were plenty of young bands playing there, including two guitarists, brothers under the age of 10, and one group of teenagers who set up outside a newsagent and played various punk covers, with the crowd spilling out into the road.

And so to Sunday, tired and weary, we eased our way into the day slowly but enjoyably, with a Guinness Book of Records attempt for the most people playing Rory simultaneously. Anyone with an instrument was invited to take part and anyone and everyone was invited to take the stage and sing a song. Hence about 15 guitars, 3 mandolins, several harmonicas, and a multitude of voices singing songs like Million Miles Away and Tattoo'd Lady. We then saw The Loop again at an outdoor gig- not quite so good this time due to poor sound system, but the mixture of sun, cold beer and rock is always a winner. Again, the choice was huge. Whilst The Loop were playing, there were at least two other outdoor gigs going on just along the same road. Afterwards, we went and saw an outdoor gig that sounded truly brilliant, Laundromat (Holland) at Rory Gallagher Place. Again, the sheer skill and technique displayed by these guys was inspiring. My uncle, of 50+ years of age is now intending to taking up the guitar after this weekend! We needed a break before the final show of the festival and the Brian Meakin show provided it. Sort of.

The 'quiet' couple of hours of blues we had anticipated turned out to be one of the loudest and in-your-face performances of the weekend. Special mention should be made of the Foxy Lady and Purple Haze covers that are the best I've ever heard and left us on a high before the main draw of the night- Sinnerboy at the Dorian Hotel. With the great (Ronnie Drew) and the good (Er…us) , in attendance we were treated to the gig of the weekend, stretching way into the early hours of the morning, finishing with the stomping Going to my Hometown, the sing-along Million Miles Away, and a, Bullfrog Blues that in all likeliness, could be heard throughout Donegal. ("There's people trying to sleep upstairs. Want to wake them?" Barry Barnes, the singer/guitarist asked mischievously). All for a paltry EUR10. Incidentally, the number one RG tribute act are playing Dublin on the 14th and Belfast on the 15th.

And then it was all over, too soon, and Ballyshannon can recover again from the onslaught sustained during one of its busiest weekends of the year. For anyone not convinced, the weekend is not just an endless repetition of Cradle Rock, there's plenty of variety there, and while it is the RG festival after all, there are the opportunities to see some extraordinary talent tackling some of the most famous songs in rock and blues. I had never realised just how heavy some of those RG songs are- Moonchild is not just similar to the Maiden song in title, for one. It's a great weekend and it's more or less on your doorstep. So 1st-4th June book it off work now- go to Rory's hometown!

MARTIN NICHOLAS (WHIPLASH)

Official site: www.goingtomyhometown.com