In a city of just 24,000, an estimated 30,000 visitors rambled their way through the streets of the marble city in search of a comic to tickle their funny bone.

"It more than doubles the population of the city for the course of the weekend, " Alison McGrath, chief executive of"cer of Kilkenny chamber of commerce told the Sunday Tribune.

"It's right up there as our most important time of the year. It is now considered the fifth most important comedy festival in the world. We get a lot of return visitors and it's very significant for us. It is a great marketing tool for the city when we go abroad, " she said.

Among the more high pro"le acts for the weekend were Karl Spain, Neil Delamere, Ed Byrne and Des Bishop. Tourism is the largest employer in Kilkenny city with over six thousand people directly employed in the sector.

"Its significance in terms of add-on business would be huge. The hospitality sector as a whole, between pubs and restaurants, are hugely important to the city, " McGrath said.