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Paul Hosford/TheJournal.ie

'Put your country first, let Garth Brooks play'

The gigs are worth €50 million to the Dublin economy, it has been claimed.

REPRESENTATIVES OF DUBLIN’S hospitality sector today called on the residents of areas around Croke Park to “put their country first” and drop their objections to the five Garth Brooks gigs.

The heads of the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA), the Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI), the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce today said that the cancellation of the gigs would cost the city €50 million.

All of the representatives say that the furore over the concerts is harming Ireland’s reputation abroad and may even impact on our ability to attract future events, including the Rugby World Cup.

“There is huge losses both directly and indirectly if these two extra gigs don’t go ahead,” said Donal O’Keefe of the LVA.

Adrian Cummins of the RAI said that €15 million of the €50 million figure would come from food, adding that “if we cannot get our act together, it will affect us in the future”.

“A lot of our businesses need this injection of cash at a fragile time in our industry’s fragile recovery.”

Garth Brooks Concert AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Stephen McNally of the IHF said that around 90,000 people are set to come from outside Ireland to see the gigs.

“The patient is in intensive care and I would call on all parties to get the patient well and get this thing on.”

All three indicated that their members would roster around a thousand staff per gig between them, with part-time staff set to benefit from the extra hours.

O’Keefe said that pubs in the vicinity of the stadium would be treating it “like five consecutive Saturday nights”.

Carte blanche

Cummins said that people needed to “take a step back and put their country first in this instance”.

“The eyes of the world are upon us in the event management industry and the sports planning industry.

“They need to know that Ireland can put on a large-scale event of this magnitude.”

However, the idea that buckling to perceived pressure would give carte blanche to promoters was rejected.

“I think this debacle shows huge flaws in our planning process,” said Fianna Fáil senator Averil Power.

“We need to move from blame in this situation and find a solution.”

Power went on to say that legislative change was needed to ensure that customers are not put out and that promoters cannot hold cities to ransom.

Compromise

With the negotiations so protracted and divisive, the idea of a solution that is fully approved by all sides is ambitious, but compromise is being called for.

“There will have to be compromise to find a solution and that means that some people won’t have it all the way they wanted,” said Gina Quinn of Dublin Chamber of Commerce.

“But we’re right up against the wire here.”

Donal O’Keefe said that it is “counter-productive to talk of winners and losers.”

Stephen McNally said that “if people aren’t going to compromise, we’re going to go nowhere.”

Read: Garth Brooks concert debacle has “major impact on Ireland’s reputation”

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181 Comments
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    Mute The Risen
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    Sep 8th 2021, 2:43 PM

    “Reflect”? Just shows the arrogance of an organisation that thinks it still wields far more power and influence than it does. Lands amounting to the value of the debt still outstanding from the various child rape and assault scandals should be confiscated with the same vigor that revenue would come after you or I if we owed anything.

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    Mute Tony Harris
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    Sep 8th 2021, 2:48 PM

    @The Risen: True, but why ignore the other travesty, developers again getting a get out of jail card by their buddies in office????

    170
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    Mute That's FineGaelness
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    Sep 8th 2021, 3:02 PM

    @Tony Harris: Who said to ignore developers getting a get out of jail free card?

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    Mute Tony Harris
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    Sep 8th 2021, 4:14 PM

    @That’s FineGaelness: I was referring to the comment above which ignored that bit!

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    Mute Fachtna Roe
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    Sep 8th 2021, 8:15 PM

    @Tony Harris: Because yer man in the photo isn’t wearing a hi-vis. :)

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    Mute Ian Phillip Creaner
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    Sep 8th 2021, 8:49 PM

    @The Risen: i agree completely. But After you or me. You cannot come after “İ”.

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    Mute Seamus Mac
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    Sep 8th 2021, 10:45 PM

    @The Risen: the state recommended that the church pay 50% of all the redress which the church did not agree to as they knew it was impossible. On the one hand you are saying the church is in decline but on the other they are supposed to have a financial standing equivalent to the state.

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Sep 8th 2021, 2:50 PM

    The Bishop should take a good long look in the mirror while he’s “reflecting”
    How those supposed men of god can live with themselves I don’t know

    193
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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Sep 8th 2021, 3:24 PM

    @Dave Harris: Indeed. He needs to reflect on the ban on birth control and the possible link with homeless families going hungry. No doubt they’d prefer to set up orphanages to export the children on commission.

    97
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    Mute Dorothy Giselsson
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    Sep 8th 2021, 3:25 PM

    With the amount outstanding that these people owe their victims should they not just send in CAB to confiscate their assets in lieu of overdue debts?

    126
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    Mute Pádraigín O'Sirideáin
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    Sep 8th 2021, 3:06 PM

    The church should hold no land, they should hold no wealth, if they were real Christian’s they would gladly give land to build social housing… but no, they’ll reflect on it and hope the publicity will go away, no wonder mass attendance numbers are dwindling. Shame on the church again.

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    Mute Mary Walshe
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    Sep 8th 2021, 4:30 PM

    @Pádraigín O’Sirideáin:
    So much for vows of poverty!

    72
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    Mute Irish big fellow
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    Sep 8th 2021, 3:12 PM

    How much does the church still owe the state to pay for the agreed portion of financial compensation already paid out by the government to those who were victims of abuse by the members of the clergy?

    116
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    Mute Robert Stevens
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    Sep 8th 2021, 2:42 PM

    The money was just resting in my account

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    Mute JusticeForJoe
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    Sep 8th 2021, 7:41 PM

    @Robert Stevens: It was resting for a long time, Ted! Good long rest!

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    Mute Amadán
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    Sep 8th 2021, 3:45 PM

    I hope they do give the land…on the stipulation that it will be turned into social housing.
    Because, you know O’Brien and every other minister will develop the builds and then hand them over to parasite landlord class.

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    Mute Tony Harris
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    Sep 8th 2021, 4:16 PM

    @Amadán: Excellent point, well made.

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    Mute JusticeForJoe
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    Sep 8th 2021, 7:41 PM

    @Amadán: This is exactly it

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    Mute JusticeForJoe
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    Sep 8th 2021, 7:42 PM

    Why you’re not an Amadán at all!

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    Mute NoPlanetB
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    Sep 8th 2021, 3:24 PM

    Do a Henry VIII reboot: Dissolution. Widespread state seizure of church lands for Social housing. Much of this land was gifted to the church in any case by Builders when they built an estate and land for church use was made available for a nominal fee. The house owners themselves paid for it whether they liked it or not.

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    Mute Joseph Duggan
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    Sep 8th 2021, 3:46 PM

    Wonder could the church show us the deeds of.all the land they have control of

    52
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    Mute JusticeForJoe
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    Sep 8th 2021, 7:43 PM

    @Joseph Duggan: I’d be interested

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    Mute Joseph Duggan
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    Sep 8th 2021, 3:49 PM

    Biggest private landlord in the world vatican

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    Mute Ivan Genockey
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    Sep 8th 2021, 4:19 PM

    The minister should just take the land off the church for all the pain and misery they caused.
    After all they didn’t even pay up.

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    Mute Amadán
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    Sep 8th 2021, 3:43 PM

    Or, it could be more likely that they have to talk to the individual Diocese about what can be done. Those in said diocese, ordained and laity will have to be consulted.
    That’s before you get into the different orders and some that will have to go to the Vatican.
    It’s not the hegemony orginistion people think it is. It’ll take time. Probably looking at about a year.

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    Mute Fred spins kdb
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    Sep 8th 2021, 2:48 PM

    Hes the bulb off piers Morgan.

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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Sep 8th 2021, 4:39 PM

    Centre right and centre left governments in Ireland have operated from a base assumption that the housing demand can be left to ‘the market’. In the early 1930s FF earmarked large sums of money to local authorities for the construction of houses for people on low incomes. But that was a temporary aberration; since then the Hidden Hand of the Market has held economical sway. Catholic Bishops and lay Catholic theologians can examine papal encyclicals etc and see if the Hidden Hand concept can be morally challenged. I hope that will be a significant aspect of the Bishops’ declared ‘reflection’.

    12
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