Saturday 18/06/11 London Feis Festival @ Finsbury Park, London

Surely one of the most surreal moments of this year's festival season came mid-afternoon on the Sunday of this two-day event when Lee Ryan (yep, Blue's Lee Ryan!) sauntered on stage to inform us “legends Clannad would be on next”.

Once the gathered masses had got their heads around the fact it was one quarter of recent Eurovision flops was on stage introducing the traditional sounds of the haunting Donegal collective, he was roundedly booed off - just bizarre. But more of Clannad later. First to Saturday and it was apt this wildly eclectic celtic-infused event was accompanied by equally unpredictable weather.

As umbrellas and hoods went up and down like the poor sod responsible for ferrying kegs of Guinness for the carefree concert-goers to plunder. Infusing the day with their new twist on Springsteen's blue collar rock and roll were The Gaslight Anthem. Performing amid a smattering of heavy showers, which did nothing for their sound, they sadly fell a little flat, which was a shame as Brian Fallon and co are a much better proposition - a scorching '59 Sound' aside - than they showed here.

It was left to MOR rock veterans The Cranberries to unexpectedly kick start the day into life.
Calling on all their stadium experience, Dolores O'Riordan simply cut straight to the chase walking on stage playing the driving instantly recognisable riffs of megawatt hit Zombie. Swiftly followed by the first mass sing-a-long of the day with an airing of Linger, things were finally up and running.

Shane MacGowan, a north London disciple in his own right, maintained momentum with a typically ramshackle but loveably boisterous set in the tented arena, while Christy Moore's soulful ballads and footy odes were another highlight.

Sporting a natty white brimmed hat, there was an audible intake of breath when the truly legendary figure of Bob Dylan finally emerged on stage amid of flurry of iPhones snapping.

Now 70, he remains as grizzled and stubborn as ever - continue to warble like Muttley in human form over some of his most cherished work, to the extent they remained largely unrecognisable.
Tangled Up In Blue came and almost went before I managed to work out he was even singing it and it wasn't until the joyous Like A Rolling Stone was aired that I felt I'd finally had my Dylan moment.

On to Sunday and with a largely sun-soaked day ahead of us and a more relaxed vibed generally eminating from a smaller crowd, reggae veteran Jimmy Cliff's booking proved inspired. Oozing charisma, joie de vivre and Jamacian charm, his hearty renditions of The Harder They Come, Wild World and a spine-tingiling Many Rivers We Cross proved to be the weekend's highlights.

For all Clannad's haunting ballads and admirable traditional instrumentation, it proved utterly dull with many taking the opportunity for a lunch break before the eagerly-anticipated arrival of Horslips. The Irish rock behemoths boasted followers in the crowd from as far as San Francisco as they ripped through cult classics like Furniture in front of a fervent following.

Over at the third stage, the horrifically named Ham Sandwich proved an unexpected boon - their Cranberries-esque melodies had a packed field entranced, before the arrival of sunset coincided with Van the Man's emergence.

Equally as uncommunicative with the crowd as his contemporary Dylan the night before, he remains a soulful force to be reckoned with.

Brown Eyed Girl and Moondance are despatched with little fuss yet see many a couple reliving wedding night memories.

Switching the headliners so Thin Lizzy could bring the weekend to a close was a wise decision. Fresh from Download in Donnington, they powered through a frenetic, booming set, which saw the girlfriend on shoulders count surpass anything else seen all weekend by the time Jailbreak and Whiskey In The Jar were aired.

21 years in and the Feis Festival remains a welcome staple in the festival calendar and a true celebration of London's Irish heritage - what Lee Ryan was doing there though, is anybody's guess!