Vince Power, the well-known rock music entrepreneur from Kilmacthomas, is currently battling to keep the Kensington Park Hotel bar open in Ladbroke Grove in West London.
Speaking to Dave Fanning on RTE Radio One, Vince said he is trying to save it from developers who want to take it over in a month’s time and change its use.
Many rang into Radio One regarding this campaign and complementing the great day in Tramore 22 years ago when Vince successfully organised the Fleadh Mór.
Van Morrison, Ray Charles, Christy Moore, Joan Baez and Christy Moore were just some of the artists who appeared at the racecourse.
However, this lost money as 40,000 were needed to attend to make money but only 20,000 fans attended.
Vince spoke about the Reading Festivals, the Spanish music fest near Barcelona as well as the Mean Fiddler pub in Harlesden, North London.
We met him at the Tramore Races where he told us about his Ladbroke Grove bar and how jazz and blues are getting popular again.
Nominated to be an ambassador for the ‘Three Sisters 20202’ European City of Culture bid, where his music expertise will be utilised if successful.
Vince recalled leaving Kilmac at the age of 16 and going to Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, working in Woolworths having been collected at Paddington Station by his aunt.
He then went into furniture and moved on to the pubs and into music in the 1980s in Harlesden, London. Many listeners rang into RTE complementing the groups he hosted, such as the Pogues who got their first gig there for £25 pounds. They would later earn £50,000 for a headline gig at a big rock festival.
