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Updated 7.15pm
CONCERT PROMOTER PETER Aiken was in front of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications today, to answer questions on the Garth Brooks debacle.
Yesterday the committee grilled Dublin City Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan, who said the council’s decision to approve three of the five Brooks gigs was “appropriate, balanced and reasonable”.
The Director General of the GAA, Paraic Duffy told the committee that the gigs had “become an event of national significance”.
He said that the One Direction gigs held earlier this year had gone off without a hitch and had been used to trial new crowd control methods.
“Complaints”
“These measures were hugely successful and only three complaints were made to gardaí by residents, an unprecedented figure.”
He said that the GAA and Dublin City Council had met as late as early June to discuss a works schedule and had not been informed that the gigs were under any threat.
“All of our contact with Dublin City Council led us to believe that all five concerts would be approved.
“At no point was Croke Park made aware of the need for contingency plans.”
Duffy went on to lament the fact that Dublin City Council had not phoned the GAA to tell them of the decision.
He said that just because the scale of the gigs was unprecedented does not mean that they should have been refused, and said there was ”incontrovertible evidence” that some of the objections made to Dublin City Council were false, but that the council did not weigh this properly.
He added that the GAA accepts the findings of the Mulvey Report and called on the residents to have a single coherent grouping.
Peter McKenna of Croke Park says that Owen Keegan had assured him that the city would be supportive of the Garth Brooks gigs going ahead.
However, in a statement this evening, Dublin City Council said that ”no assurance was given, or indeed could be given at that stage, that all five proposed concerts would be licensed”.
“In this conversation Owen Keegan reiterated his position that the City Council is supportive of special events and concerts in Croke Park.”
Keegan is to appear before the committee again on Friday.
Peter Aiken of Aiken Promotions told the committee that selling tickets before the licence was granted was “custom and practice” in his business.
He said that having no appeals mechanism was “extremely frustrating”.
Aiken said that the gigs were going to be “our big moment” and said that they would be “massive”, likening them to Bruce Springsteen’s 10-night run at Giants Stadium.
Aiken said that while “it is all pretty raw” right now, but said he was seeking legal advice. He said he will “be out seven figures” and that Brooks would lose millions.
Aiken said that the situation surrounding the objections made against the gigs was “like an episode of Father Ted”.
He said that “whatever is going to happen, has to happen today” in terms of saving the gigs. The only way for this to happen would be if Dublin City Council agreed not to contest a judicial review.
No such review was filed so far this evening, it is understood.
Aiken confirmed that Brooks’ ship is docked in Antwerp.
Additional reporting by Nicky Ryan. Originally published 12.45pm.
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Why was an underground transport system not considered? The first London underground line opened in 1863. Modern mechanisation should make such a task a lot easier.
Of course it was. But the cost came at some €15bln or something stupid like that. I believe it meant to be completed by 2014, but then when bubble burst, cancelled altogether. Or postponed… for eternity.
a company I think they were Chinese offered to build it for free and the only catch was they got to run it for the first 10 years, and our government said no.
#lookedagifthorseinthemouth
@Richard: When and what government? Also what was the operating cost per year they were going to charge for each of the 10 years?
Prove that Richard!
I’m a little fuzzy on the details it was about 7/8 years ago
Was the company Japanese?
As far as I can recall, it was a Korean firm. But the condition they stipulated was permanent control over the entire operation, and not just 10 years. I think it was Hyundai, but I stand to be corrected.
Oh, and it wasn’t 7 or 8 years ago. It was back in the 1980s. You’re talking about when the idea was resurrected and people remembered the original plan.
There are only 1m people in Dublin. That’s tiny compared to London, so transport systems between the two should not be compared. Dublin also has a sprawling population, with most people living in the outskirts, and little population density in the city centre. I think
All pure waffle. How can you plan a “city for citizens” when the city centre is dominated by drugged up zombies, pushers and teenage gangs robbing tourists, citizens and revelers alike. Get your priorities right first Ciaran and only then can you consider making plans like you have outlined above. Spend in local businesses? Go down to the courts and watch those arrested for thieving walking free on probation or with a euro fine after being caught robbing from the same businesses you mention Address the over supply of off licenses open street dealing open drug taking drunken brawls teenage gangs behavior on the Luas red line before the right of the bicycle. Address the rest of the populations right to walk around cycle or indeed drive through the city without fear of being robbed spat at hustled for change for the next bag of smack beaten up and chased out of our city centre (normal citizens who don’t behave as outlined above) have rights too and these are being ignored. Your on a council now so address the over domination of drug clinics in the same city centre you wish to remove traffic from. Start by removing clinics. Start your new political career by saving the city centre for all and not just for the bicycle.
Oh give it a rest. They are different issues. This is about transport. I walk around and cycle through the city without fear. Such a boring comment.
Wouldn’t it be boring if you ended up in A&E, huh?
Your comments could put me in A & E. I can feel a coma coming on reading them.
@Dog: Have you taken a stroll on the North quays. Widening the footpaths etc will just create more seating room for addicts. These “people” need to be eradicated from the city centre. They want to make the area attractive to tourists? I will not bring any friends I have visiting the city anywhere North of Dame Street or South of Dorset Street. It’s wholly embarrassing to be honest. They’re spreading South now too. If that keeps up, we’ll lose the city centre altogether.
Shame you wish to fall asleep and let “our” city fall apart. You may wake up soon and then wonder why you cannot go into town anymore by bike or limited public transport. Maybe you should join our country cousins whom you have slated off here and live happily ever after. P.S. if you continue to cycle around town, as you claim, your bike will be robbed. If you continue to walk around town you will be mugged, sooner or later. Wishing you the very best and take care as it’s a very dangerous city we live in at the moment. PPSS had a look at your twitter, cans and cannabis seem to be a feature.
I am originally from the country. All my cousins live down there. I’ve had 4 bikes stolen, the last one from my back garden in the suburbs. I have never been mugged. No one I know has ever been mugged. The city is no more dangerous than any other, I’ve been to places far more dangerous than Dublin. This article is about transport, but some people just need to vent their feelings wherever possible. Cycling the quays, from Houston to Grand Canal Dock, is just lovely.
And before you say it, I lived in the city centre last year. I never had any trouble.
Why bother arguing on the Journal? Look out any city centre window and…………..Zombies…………………………your transport,…………………..4 bikes stolen! I rest my case.
Bye Bye.
So you noticed that the last one wasn’t stolen in the city centre but from my garden? In the suburbs. Maybe your problem is you’re afraid to come out from that window. The junkballs won’t go near you, you don’t have to worry. You must be terribly stressed.
@Alan. The fact that we have a city centre which offers a very poor quality of life is part of the reason why we have such anti-social behavior and junkies in the city centre.
Copenhagen is the world’s most liveable city. It also has a massive cycling culture. You need to look at the big picture – zero tolerance policing ain’t going to solve the problem
I do agree zero tolerance is not the answer but it would help would help though. We need the political will. A willing political and judicial class. I agree, look at the big picture.
Seen the headlines this morning about FF’s Niall Collins?
The Viking’s actor who got 5 years suspended for possession of €124.000 of drugs?
And then we all wonder why our city centre is crawling in drug addicts?.
As I said above, clean up the city for everyone before we start worrying about cycle lanes.
Yes. Start thinking about cities as places for people. And stop thinking of people solely as sources of revenue
@Andrew: “And stop thinking of people solely as sources of revenue”. I would agree with you Andrew however where is the money going to come from to provide all the services for all these people E.G. parks, playgrounds, museums etc.? Perhaps re-introducing Rates as well as the current refuse and impending water charges etc. would be on the cards
Can people not come up with good ideas, such as making the city a place for people rather than vehicles, without the inane commentary? Where does the money come for anything? Does it mean we shouldn’t improve out lot?
With most of us living in cities should be changed to ‘for those of us living in Dublin’. The article has no significance for the rest of us
Luckily 1 in 4 people in the country live in Dublin, so it will be of interest to them.
it does. you are the guys driving into the cities
It’s an absolute disgrace …. Countryside is being decimated by these centralised programmes …. Not sure what these idiot politicians are at …. High rise buildings ,concentrate everybody in the cities, leave the countryside for tillage and animals destroy the future of what’s left for the families there … Sounds a bit like the communist countries :):)
Yeap, services in places where people actually live… madness…
We all know how successful decentralisation was. Now all packages arriving in Dublin are shipped to Portlaoise for sorting before coming back to Dublin…
Some people want to live in cities. I love the city. A quarter of the population live in this small space. Technically we pay for much of the infrastructure in the country, without complaining.
i’m sure that was meant as sarcasm
IMHO Dublin isn’t really a city – It’s more like a big town that got out of control, and where no one has a clue who runs it. And like every other town in Ireland it only exists to let cars drive through it.
We desperately need to be reviving our towns like European towns and keep cars out of them and make them places you would actually want to live in.
The city centre of Dublin is a great place to be. Anyone I know from abroad thats come to visit absolutely loves it. It’s so vibrant, so full of life. Some people just can’t see past the junkies. Berlin is full of crusty punks begging on the streets with scabby dogs. Still an amazing city. Rio is full of hawkers and beggars. Still a rocking city.
Most European towns and cites had a bit of demolition done to them courtsey of Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe urban renewal schemes.So they have been re planned and built for modern commuting and infrastructure.A lot easier to plan a underground when everything above ground is rubble.Us in “neutral” Ireland didnt have that advantage and now we are trying to jam 20th century technology into 19th century cities in the 21st century.
Bar the picturesque “old town” part of major cities in Europe, IE Amsterdam,Bamberg,Nurenberg,etc which are tourist traps and most natives avoid to do their shopping or busisness,due to arkwardness in traffic or ridicilous rates.Most european towns are designed for efficent transport from their suburbs to shopping centres or work via a car,bus,tram.
Dublin however is a disaster because of its inner city centre where busisness is still concentrated,having a river splitting the city,a huge urban sprawl to the South and South west and no proper commute planning except road transport,an inefficent public transport net which collides with the biggest roundabout in the country.
In short the best thing that can happen to Dublin is actually de centralise it as much as possible.Trying to herd everyone into the city centre is whats causing the problems.But in Ireland like everything we want our cake and eat it as well. We want a modern urban transport system,but dont want trucks delivering at 2 AM.We want a underground,but dont want the disruption of having a white elephant project digging up Dublin.We dont want cars in the cities,but cant produce an efficent public transport system and to solve it now our solution is put people on ridicilous unsafe two wheeled wire and metal contraptions to propel themselves in our incliment weather to work,where they will sit nice and gamey with body oder for 8 hours in the office…Nice!!
Yea, makes sense, until the bit about bikes. They’re not unsafe in general, the exercise is good for you, measures can be taken to avoid being smelly in work, it rains more in Amsterdam than Dublin.
Yea- Dublin is more like a collection of suburbs in that way- they are the best thing about the city. The center itself has just turned into a shopping center/transport hub and nothing else. With all the Luas/buses/taxis sprawling through it it can only get worse really.
College Green should be more than just a roundabout.
How is it full of life exactly? It’s just lots of people walking around shopping. Put a roof on it and it’d just be like Liffey Valley. Once the shops close the place is dead.
I agree with Marko. Dublin is just a big, unplanned town. It doesn’t have the feel of a capital to me. The area around Grafton Street, South William Street and such is nice enough. But large areas are dirty and undeveloped. Not enough is done with the Georgian heritage buildings. Transport is a joke. The roads and traffic planning are a nightmare. There’s no civic centre, like Trafalgar Square or Plaza Mayor. Apart from shopping (in British High Street shops) or eating/drinking there’s not much to do. Compared to London there’s always things to do and see for free and great parks. More work needed to make Dublin a truly “liveable” city.
What puzzles me is this: If cars were finally a thing of the past in Dublin. The cyclists, the walkers, the Luas & DART users would indeed be VERY happy. However, as I understand it, the city council relies very heavily on the revenue from parking charges and clamping fees. If people gave up their cars because they now live in a car-free paradise, how would the council make up this lost revenue as well as the reduced revenue from less fuel sales and less motor tax/VRT tax for the government? Has anyone got an answer for me??
yeah. They would be substituted by other sources of revenue from having a more vibrant city centre which is an attractive place to live, less dereliction etc
looks like they have plans only for the city center aka the tourists. I thought they wanted to help people living in Dublin
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