Start saving those pennies now...

The competition between Irish festivals is set to reach unprecedented levels, with Hot Press learning that the PoD and Mean Fiddler Organisation are planning to bring Reading 2003 here.

It remains to be seen whether there'll be the same sharing of acts that occurs between the original Reading and Reading Leeds, which both run over the UK August Bank Holiday.

With Witnness already trying to put their headline acts in place and Slane rumoured to be on the trail of the Rolling Stones, Irish music fans are in for quite a summer.