The organisers of the Killarney Summerfest have said a varied classical programme at this year's event will answer criticisms that the inaugural festival was heavy on marketing and light on substance.
This year the festival boasted acts such as the Korean pianist Young Choon Park, who played a programme of Mozart, Debussy and Beethoven in Muckross House, and the Vestmanna Faroe Islands Choir at St Mary's Church.
The classical programme is to become a fixture of future Summerfests, as it gives an alternative dimension and adds depth, a festival spokeswoman said yesterday. The more popular concerts by David Gray and the Cranberries/Counting Crows drew 37,000 people to the town over two weekends. The Summerfest, which finishes on Sunday, provided a boost to tourism, with accommodation heavily booked out, Mr Jerry O'Grady, chief executive of Killarney Tourism and Commerce, said.
Bord Fáilte gave grant aid of €350,000 to this year's Summerfest, the second highest sum under the festivals and cultural events programme after the St Patrick's Festival, which received over €800,000.
Last year the festival got €487,000 and is expected to receive grant-aid on a sliding scale for a five-year period.
Arts consultant Ms Doireann Ní Bhriain criticised the festival's spend on marketing and suggested it should concentrate more on substance in a report to Bord Fáilte.