How Jim Mountjoy's festival has Cork Jazzin' since 1978

A strange set of circumstances led Jim Mountjoy to suggest a jazz festival for Cork in 1978. Little did he know how his idea would snowball, writes Des O’Driscoll

YOU’D imagine that possessing little interest in jazz, and never having attended any music festival aren’t the best qualifications for setting up one of Europe’s top jazz festivals. But that didn’t stop Jim Mountjoy, the man who established Cork’s long-enduring event way back in 1978.

A strange set of circumstances aligned for the birth of a festival that celebrates its 40th incarnation this year.