“I had an absolute blast last year. It was just fantastic,” the former Australian Idol winner said.

“There’s great music and entertainment but it’s about the vibe in the streets more than anything. 

“It felt like I was back home in Ireland for the weekend. I got involved in a session in the local pub after a gig. We were sitting around the piano at the end, with everyone singing. It was great.” 

Leith is back for this weekend’s festival, headlining a bill that also includes Mike Brady, the festival’s artist of the year Maria Forde, Oh Pep, Old Melbourne Road, Cill-Airne and more.

The Irish-born singer-songwriter is promising a mixed bag for his Saturday night show at the Koroit Theatre. 

“We’ll definitely gear a lot of the set towards the Irish stuff but there’s nothing to stop me chucking in a bit of Roy Orbison or Hallelujah,” he said.

“I’ve got a fiddle player with me and if you ... add a bit of fiddle it always gives things a folky twist. 

“Last time I had a big Irish set (prepared) and ... on stage people requested things, so we just went with the flow. The people I played with, I’ve played with them for a long time so we’re always open to anyone making a request.”

The “Irish stuff” has been at the forefront of Leith’s mind of late. Last month he released his seventh album — Songs From Ireland — which grew out of a one-man show he wrote and performed called The Parting Glass. 

“(Singer-actor) David Campbell was looking after the Adelaide Cabaret Festival a couple of years ago and he said ‘would you like to do an Irish show for the festival?’,” Leith said.

“It was around that point I was thinking (about doing) something different. 

“So I wrote a play about a father and a son who haven’t seen each other for five years and they’re catching up in an Irish pub. It was a lot of fun. It was quite humorous, but like the songs, there were highs and lows — you’re laughing one minute and crying the next. 

“I love writing plays so when the opportunity came up for the cabaret I thought it was great.”

Songs From Ireland also offered Leith a seemingly impossible opportunity to duet with one of his musical heroes — Bing Crosby, who died in 1977 — on the tune Galway Bay.

“He made that song famous,” Leith explained.

“We thought ‘we’ve got nothing to lose by asking (Crosby’s estate) to do a duet.

“When we sat down and chatted about it we thought ‘this is never going to happen’. But we just went for it. 

“Over three months we did lots of demos and rough cut versions to give to Bing’s estate. 

“(The estate was) just fantastic and got behind the whole thing and sent us footage. After three months, we got across the line. 

“I’ve got to say it’s a career highlight. Every time I heard it, it sounds surreal. It’s a really proud moment. High Society is in my top five films. I’ve been a fan of Bing for a long time.” 

The Koroit Irish Festival begins tomorrow and wraps up on Sunday. Head to the festival website for ticketing details.