Fury over Brooks gigs

LOCAL residents living in the vicinity of Croke Park say they’ll be virtually locked out of their homes during the five Garth Brooks concerts due to take place at the national stadium this summer.

Up to 400,000 fans will flock to Croker between July 25-29 and while they’ll be counting down the days to the much-anticipated comeback gigs, many residents are definitely not looking forward to the country singer’s performances.

Pat Gates of the Clonliffe and Croke Park Area Residents’ Association said locals are now looking into the possibility of taking action to try and prevent or curtail the events.

“We’re absolutely flabbergasted, people are absolutely incensed, there’s been no consultation whatsoever,

? he told Northside People.

“We were told when the three U2 concerts happened over four nights in 2009 that it would never happen again so what’s happening now is just unbelievable.

“We feel completely abandoned by the agencies of the state. Every objection that the residents have ever put forward has been rejected. It’s disgraceful what we’re going to have to go through.

“It’s the worst nightmare that you can think of. People won’t be able to get in or out of their community, there’s drunkenness, there’s anti-social behaviour and then there’s the noise pollution – and that goes on a week before and a week after the event. There’s no community in the world that would put up with that.

“We’re told it’s for the benefit of the economy and the city but sorry, I just don’t buy that. I think that’s a moral blackmail.

“Garth Brooks has a phenonanal following in Ireland so why didn’t they hold it in different venues around the country? Why didn’t they bring it to Belfast and Páirc Uí Chaoimh and let other parts of the country benefit too?

“It’s a joke, and a bad joke for us. There should be some protocol in place where you have to get the licence before you sell the tickets.

“We have to make some sort of stand. We’re looking at our options including taking out an injunction.

?

Croke Park has automatic planning permission for three special events each year on top of the regular GAA calendar. Dublin City Council say it has been informed that three One Direction concerts taking place on May 23, 24 and 25 will be the events allowed for under this permission.

Any further events need a public event licence from the council, but residents believe the process is merely a formality given that tickets are generally sold before an application is made.

North Inner City councillor, Ray McAdam (FG), said residents have told him that the five Brooks concerts – and rumours of a sixth – is a step too far and he slammed the licence application process.

“I’ve been on the council for five years and I’ve yet to see an application for an event licence like this being turned down,

? he said.

“The system is bizarre because you have promoters selling tickets, in this case 400,000 for five gigs, and no event licence has even been even applied for yet.

“They don’t have to apply for an event licence until ten weeks before the event is due to take place. Residents feel that they’re being presented with a fait accompli.

“I expect the events to be approved but we have to ensure that the concerns of residents, in terms of noise, in terms of parking, in terms of adequate policing and access to residents’ homes is all addressed.

“There’s no doubt that the whole legislation around this has to be re-examined and I’m going to be perusing that with my party colleagues in Government.

?

One resident living close to the stadium told Northside People that locals have become cynical about the planning process and were fed-up with the number of extra events at Croker.

“We’ll just have to pack up and leave for the five days, that’s just how it is,

? she said.

“It’s all a bit of a bad joke really. There’s no real planning process at all, at least none that would stand up to international scrutiny.

?

Fianna Fail Councillor, Paul McAuliffe (FF), said he was concerned that no application had been made for licence for the concerts.

“I was alarmed to receive information from the council that the promoters and organisers behind the Garth Brooks concerts had yet to apply for a public event licence required to hold the events,

? he said.

“I hope to see the details of any application as soon as possible to reassure the concerns of local residents in the Drumcondra area and the thousands of Garth Brooks fans who have purchased tickets.

?