Stones are rolling to Croker... or are they?
THE bid to get Rolling Stones into Croker is gaining momentum... but some residents who live near the stadium are strongly opposed to the concert this summer.
Just weeks after the Irish Daily Mail revealed that just such a gig was in the offing, Aiken Promotions yesterday announced the band will play Croke Park on May 17, subject to licence. Tickets will go on sale on March 23.
That concert would be in addition to two Croke Park gigs by Taylor Swift in June and a third by Michael Bublé in July. The Clonliffe and Croke Park Resi- dents Association last night held a public meeting to discuss the concert. Some residents are opposed to a fourth concert date as it would be in apparent contravention of planning conditions.
Speaking to the Mail, Colm Stephens, PRO of the group, said it would be asking people in the area to make their views known to Dublin City Council before next Monday. He said: ‘We are encouraging people to object as this planned concert is a clear breach of the agreement in place.’
NOT only is Croke Park the largest stadium in the country, it is one of the biggest and best in Europe. It has also been there for well over a century, so anyone living nearby chose to do so in the knowledge that they would have to endure the occasional disruption. Nonetheless, we are now facing the farcical situation of anyone who wants to see The Rolling Stones being left at the mercy of a small group of locals.
Nobody disputes that residents in the immediate vicinity of the ground should be compensated for any inconvenience. That is a matter of basic respect.
But what certainly isn’t reasonable is the prospect of tens of thousands of people being denied the opportunity of seeing the Stones in concert.
Less than four years have passed since the fiasco over the Garth Brooks shows. It would be beyond shameful to see the same thing happening in this instance.
By any standards, Croke Park is a magnificent venue. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be held to ransom by people intent on making an issue out of the fact that they live in its shadow.