Stones get go-ahead for Croker... but locals aren’t happy

THE Rolling Stones are set to play Croke Park in May after Dublin City Council gave the stadium the green light to host a fourth concert this year.

However, local residents, who objected to the gig, are furious and say it – and 18 days of building work and rehearsals that may last until 1am – will interfere with the Leaving Cert and Junior Cert exams.

Tickets will go on sale on Friday, starting at €70.45 for standing and rising to an astonishing €181 for ‘gold standard’.

It will be the band’s first Irish date since 2007, when they sold out Slane Castle. The granting of the licence for the Croker gig on May 17 follows agreement to allow two dates for Taylor Swift, on June 15 and 16, and one for Michael Bublé on July 7.

Under a pact with residents, Croke Park is entitled to hold just three concerts a year.

The go-ahead follows the furore over plans for five gigs in 2014 when residents’ objections led to the massively popular country singer Garth Brooks cancelling all five concerts at the GAA headquarters.

The Clonliffe and Croke Park Area Residents’ Association, which represents the people who live within the cordoned-off area around the stadium, say living beside Croke Park is like ‘living next to a nightclub with 80,000 people in it’.

PRO Colm Stephens said: ‘On top of that, Aiken Promotions plan 18 continuous days of construction work and rehearsals between the hours of 8am and as late as 1am before and after the concert.

‘The noise and disruption is an unacceptable intrusion into ordinary people’s lives and is made worse by the fact that the concert is planned for a school night when many young people are preparing for Leaving and Junior Cert or college exams.’

Chairman of the Residents’ Association, Pat Gates, in a statement, said: ‘Many residents now fear Croke Park will apply for licences for even more concerts next year, especially now that the GAA plans not to hold inter-county games during the month of April. Will Croke Park be converted into a concert venue for a whole month?’

Around 60 residents are believed to have lodged objections.