Music fans in Wexford were disappointed when acclaimed singer/songwriter Juliet Turner cancelled a gig in the town in March due to the foot-and-mouth crisis.
The performance was rescheduled for April, but then Turner suffered a temporary loss of voice and had to postpone again. When the third date was set for next Friday, July 13th, the organisers took fright at what nature might throw up on such an ominous date and moved it back 24 hours.
So, barring lightning, floods, pestilence, war or a bout of flu, Wexford Arts Centre and the Good Music Club confidently predict that the writer of hits such as Dr Fell and Burn the Black Suit will take the stage at the Talbot Hotel this Saturday.
The concert is just one of many taking place as part of the Carlsberg Hooves 'n' Grooves Festival, which is turning into one of the liveliest events on the Wexford calendar.
Organised in association with Wexford races, the event is now in its third year and opens on Friday with a packed evening's racing at Bettyville, while later in the evening the 80 gigs taking place at music venues throughout the weekend get under way.
The horse-racing continues on Saturday, with side attractions such as performances by the Bui Bolg theatre company, face painters, a children's disco, a Punch and Judy show and a best-dressed lady competition.
The music will keep going until Sunday with a variety of international and Irish acts booked in for some part of the weekend, ranging from John Herald, a Dylan-era veteran of Greenwich Village and former singer with the Green Briar Boys and Woodstock Mountain Review, to traditional accordionist Josephine Marsh.
Folk-rock heroes Loudest Whisper, traditional folk duo Noel Shine and Mary Greene, and Idaho-born singer/songwriter Josh Ritter will also feature. Further information on the Wexford races is available at the website www.wexfordraces.ie For more on the music at the Hooves 'n' Grooves go to www.hoovesandgrooves.com