Vince Power, head of Mean Fiddler Music Promotions, now strolls among the music greats as Britain's biggest live music promoter. He is the man who has put his own spin on the muckabout outdoor festival, adding the flavour of the unrestrained Celtic vibe and calling on the Irish diaspora as his core customers.

But his plan to internationalise the fleadh has been cautious in its development. The first New York Fleadh was five years in its gestation. Next year he plans to add Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto and Melbourne to his venue list, with the money he hopes to make on his company's stock market flotation later this year.

Mr Power created the original Mean Fiddler venue in Harlesden, London, in 1982, buying the premises for £125,000 and turning it into "a Nashville-style venue with cool beer and hot music". He has said his taste was for country and traditional music. "But it hadn't enough pulling power so I booked The Pogues, Los Lobos, Lone Justice etcetera. And it worked."

It was a remarkable departure from humble beginnings as a labourer and, later, as a second-hand furniture dealer. He arrived in London from the village of Newtown, Co Waterford, in 1964 and worked on building sites before moving into demolition. In the 1970s he became involved in the second-hand furniture business, gradually opening a number of shops. The last one, Power's of Kilburn, was only recently sold.

Now he has nine London bars and clubs, including The Forum in Kentish Town, The Jazz Cafe in Camden and The Clapham Grand. Together the nine venues make up a third of the city's top rock and jazz establishments.

His one Irish venue, the Mean Fiddler in Dublin's Wexford Street, opened in June 1995. It got into difficulty last November when Mr Power's other partner, Mr Kieran Cavanagh, applied to the High Court for it to be wound up. Gillint Catering Ltd, the company operating the Mean Fiddler, was in a "critical financial situation", according to Mr Cavanagh. Later the High Court heard that the Revenue Commissioners were owed £350,000. A liquidator was appointed in January but the dispute was resolved when Mr Cavanagh was bought out by Mr Power.

A new company, Moredown Ltd, was founded and the Mean Fiddler reopened its doors in February. It has standing room for 650 people and acts as its own promoter, also organising concerts at Dublin venues as well as some national tours.

Mr Power also supports some charities. Since 1993, he has provided assistance for Cradle, a Dublin-based charity which provides aid for the children of Mostar, Bosnia. And this year a percentage of his Finsbury Park Fleadh proceeds went to a Catholic boys' club in Cricklewood, London.

Strolling through the Reading Festival last weekend, Power was dressed in an oversized cotton shirt and faded jeans, indistinguishable from the thousands of casually dressed people around him, except for a look of determined purpose. He is described as a man of few words who takes everything. He has a wry sense of humour and "keeps his own space". He has "an assured demeanour", reflected in the "steady as she goes" course he charts towards a definite point.

THE man who pulled the word fleadh out of its traditional Irish context and on to the top of the annual British music calendar emigrated from Co Waterford to London 33 years ago as an unskilled labourer.

Vince Power, head of Mean Fiddler Music Promotions, now strolls among the music greats as Britain's biggest live music promoter. He is the man who has put his own spin on the muckabout outdoor festival, adding the flavour of the unrestrained Celtic vibe and calling on the Irish diaspora as his core customers.

But his plan to internationalise the fleadh has been cautious in its development. The first New York Fleadh was five years in its gestation. Next year he plans to add Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto and Melbourne to his venue list, with the money he hopes to make on his company's stock market flotation later this year.

Seven years on, the Finsbury Park Fleadh is London's biggest musical event. It had 35,000 people in attendance in June and, by Vince Power's own estimate, had a £1 million sterling turnover. It was followed the day after by the separate "Jam In the Park" line-up. Far from the chaos of Woodstock, the open air festival of the 1990s is organised down to every last feature but the weather and is a respectable, thriving business.

Corporate sponsorship has been an integral part of its success: Vince Power became involved in the Reading Festival in 1988 and, a year later, rescued it from bankruptcy. He says he looked at similar events in Europe and staged indie music to make the event "an instant hit".

This year's three-day event, which ended last weekend, had over 45,000 people attending on the first day. It was sponsored by Virgin Megastores, Dr Martens and BBC Radio 1, while Guinness sponsored this summer's New York Fleadh.

Power is breaking new stock market territory by inviting public confidence in the concert/ promotions industry, displaying the same calculated daring which saw him promote the Harlesden area of London as a hip music spot. His acumen on the music front was evident in his promotion of the Sex Pistols in their sell-out concert in Finsbury Park last year.

The Mean Fiddler group also runs the Phoenix Festival near Stratford-upon-Avon, and the moveable Tribal Gathering. The group's annual turnover last year was £25 million, according to one estimate, with pre-tax profits of £411,383. The group has 27 subsidiary companies covering his diverse empire. With his ambitious expansion plan, he has said that he can no longer be a one-man band. It remains to be seen what market value will be put on the flotation.

Mr Power created the original Mean Fiddler venue in Harlesden, London, in 1982, buying the premises for £125,000 and turning it into "a Nashville-style venue with cool beer and hot music". He has said his taste was for country and traditional music. "But it hadn't enough pulling power so I booked The Pogues, Los Lobos, Lone Justice etcetera. And it worked."

It was a remarkable departure from humble beginnings as a labourer and, later, as a secondhand furniture dealer. He arrived in London from the village of Newtown, Co Waterford, in 1964 and worked on building sites before moving into demolition. In the 1970s he became involved in the second-hand furniture business, gradually opening a number of shops. The last one, Power's of Kilburn, was only recently sold.

Now he has nine London bars and clubs, including The Forum in Kentish Town, The Jazz Cafe in Camden and The Clapham Grand. Together the nine venues make up a third of the city's top rock and jazz establishments.

His one Irish venue, the Mean Fiddler in Dublin's Wexford Street, opened in June 1995. It got into difficulty last November when Mr Power's other partner, Mr Kieran Cavanagh, applied to the High Court for it to be wound up. Gillint Catering Ltd, the company operating the Mean Fiddler, was in a "critical financial situation", according to Mr Cavanagh. Later the High Court heard that the Revenue Commissioners were owed £350,000. A liquidator was appointed in January but the dispute was resolved when Mr Cavanagh was bought out by Mr Power.

A new company, Moredown Ltd, was founded and the Mean Fiddler reopened its doors in February. It has standing room for 650 people and acts as its own promoter, also organising concerts at Dublin venues as well as some national tours.

Vince Power has also kept up an interest in his home county. The family still owns the now derelict labourer's cottage outside Newtown. Last year he and Peter Queally, of Queally Group, each put up £100,000 to invest in Tramore Racecourse on condition that local support was forthcoming. It was, and they and five other directors formed the business consortium which bought the racecourse for £760,000 in May.

The directors and over 80 other shareholders are backing an ongoing refurbishment of the track at Graum Hill, "to make it much more user friendly", according to a shareholder. Earlier this month a four-day race meeting, which Power attended, was held under the new ownership. Their plans to restore the track to its glory days seem to have been realised when they beat Curragh attendance figures on one day when there was a £90,000 tote count and a "mini-Galway" atmosphere. Over the four days, £1.3 million was taken by the bookmakers. Mr Power also supports some charities. Since 1993, he has provided assistance for Cradle, a Dublin-based charity which provides aid for the children of Mostar, Bosnia. And this year a percentage of his Finsbury Park Fleadh proceeds went to a Catholic boys' club in Cricklewood, London.

Strolling through the Reading Festival last weekend, Power was dressed in an oversized cotton shirt and faded jeans, indistinguishable from the thousands of casually dressed people around him, except for a look of determined purpose. He is described as a man of few words who takes everything. He has a wry sense of humour and "keeps his own space". He has "an assured demeanour", reflected in the "steady as she goes" course he charts towards a definite point.

To the non-Irish revellers, the word fleadh may not be pronounceable, but its meaning is now indisputable.