Garth eyes an Irish tour... but Croker is no field of dreams

FOUR years after the Garth Brooks debacle gripped the nation, the US singer is being tipped by music insiders to announce a return visit to Ireland – but not to Croke Park.

While both Irish concert promoter Peter Aiken and Brooks’ own LAbased publicists Nancy Seltzer & Associates have said there is no imminent announcement on the horizon, others insist that Brooks is ‘desperate to do something in Ireland’ before his current world tour ends.

A Brooks insider revealed how members of the singer’s management team flew to Ireland during Ed Sheeran’s tour earlier this year to see how the Shape Of You singer managed the logistics of playing to smaller venues. ‘They were excited at how he played to packed crowds in places like Galway, and loved the refurbished Cork stadium,’ an insider said. ‘They flew back again to Ireland to meet Aiken Promotions so talks were in advanced stages then. Croke Park is just not an option for next summer.’ It is understood that slots at Croker for next summer have been reserved by a different promoter. Last month, Brooks, left, said of Dublin decision makers: ‘If and when they say yes, I’ll be there.’