[QUOTE=“myboyblue, post: 979285, member: 180”]The greatest small country in the world to do business.
Unless its show business.[/QUOTE]
Great quote!
Spare a thought for Shane Filan in all of this, poor lil guy.
You suspect the GAA have a few moves to make in this one still, and that the Garth concerts are merely another move in the larger chess game.
[SIZE=6]Cancellation of Garth Brooks Concerts[/SIZE]
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
The GAA and Croke Park Stadium note with much regret the confirmation that none of the Garth Brooks concerts scheduled for later this month will now take place. The GAA shares the intense disappointment of the 400,000 people who have purchased tickets.
Croke Park Stadium has worked closely with Aiken Promotions in its efforts to stage a unique series of concerts which would have represented an exciting national event and a joyful summer celebration.
From the outset Croke Park Stadium, as it does with the planning of all events staged in Croke Park, and with a view to avoiding surprise late difficulties, engaged fully with Dublin City Council officials and addressed comprehensively every issue presented during this planning process. At no stage were we given any indication that a licence was likely to be refused for any of the five concerts.
The GAA has made clear its acceptance of mediator Kieran Mulvey’s report on the long-term management of concerts and special events in Croke Park. We wish to acknowledge Mr Mulvey’s exceptional efforts over the past few days to resolve the issues raised by the refusal of a licence for the fourth and fifth concerts.
The GAA is very encouraged by the emergence in recent days of groups of residents in the Croke Park area who share our wish for a positive continuing engagement with the Croke Park Stadium; we look forward to working with them on the recommendations of the Mulvey Report.
Hang on a minute. This puts all of this in a new light. Why was the details of the agreement with the Croke Park residents association kept from the GAA? Surely somebody should have told them about this agreement?
Some bird on the radio there - “this could affect our ability to host the rugby world cup.”
This just gets better and better.[/QUOTE]
I bust out laughing at work and when I read this and everybody looked over. Your ability to bring in your hatred of rugby into every topic is remarkable.
Does anybody else find this situation similar to the Anthony Nash penalty saga. If Nash didn’t completely take the p!ss, going yet into the 14 yard line to shoot, but just took it to the 16/17m out it would have been grade.
If they went for 3 concerts instead of 5 they would have been grade.
The DCC ruling made no mention of the Croke Park agreement with the residents.
I also want to see the Croke Park Residents who FORGED objection letters arrested and sentenced to jail.
I reckon your man Brooks got cold feet and reckoned he hadn’t got it in him any more and all of this was concocted to get him off the hook. Either that or he had a pain in his hole at the thoughts of flying from LA to Dublin.
Excellently put, the people demand this 
But in that statement they talk about “surprise late difficulties” which would indicate that they were not aware that they had already staged their allocated number of concerts there.
Garrett Brooks will never be seen in Ireland again. Never.
We, as a country, are going to only look stupid from all this furore. Garth Brooks press conference Thursday can only be bad news too. A country in dire straights effectively turning away business because a couple of dozen people complain about people making noise and pissing in their gardens. I have gone to Croke Park a few times this year and I have neither made noise nor pissed in gardens but as it’s the expected norm, from now on I will. I will also tell people to fuck off with their tat who set up a homemade stall outside their houses and shout at the top of their voices selling the shit.
I couldn’t care less about Garth Brooks and I’ve had a good chuckle at the idiots on Facebook who are a bit OTT plus I bought tickets for an in-law as a present and now it looks like I’ll get my money back - Bonus Play!! They’ll hardly ask me for the money as it’s the thought that counts. Back of the net!
It’s all very embarrassing. There are no winners. Apart from me it seems.
Could you blame him? Not even he could put up with the sort of cowboys you encounter in this place. We’ve shamed ourself on the world stage, again.
[QUOTE=“Scrunchie, post: 979380, member: 1408”]
It’s all very embarrassing. There are no winners. Apart from me it seems.[/QUOTE]
Will your booking fee be refunded? If not Ticketmaster have made an absolute fortune out of this debacle too. Aiken must have made a lot of lolly on the interest on all the money spent on tickets too.
I’m beginning to think Garth Brooks never really loved Ireland at all.
[SIZE=7]‘Bob Geldof was right - banana republic’ - Louis Walsh on Brooks’ concerts cancellation fallout - See more at: [/SIZE]
Louis Walsh has defended concert promoter Peter Aiken in the wake of the cancellation of all five of Garth Brooks’ gigs due to take place at Croke Park from July 28.
Speaking with Colm Hayes on 2Fm, The X Factor UK judge said he is “100% on his [Aiken’s] side”.
“I know Peter Aiken and he’s one of the best promoters in the business, and respected worldwide,” he said.
“He’s best friends with Garth Brooks, and his manager. I’ve never seen him so excited as when he booked these gigs. This was very personal to him and his own family.”
[B]Walsh went on to lament not only the loss of revenue, but the damage to Ireland’s reputation, and said promoters will now be scared to book big acts in Irish venues.
“It was great for the country, for hotels and restaurants and taxis, and now everyone is going to suffer because of someone somewhere and red tape,” he said.
“It’s sending out a really bad message. We’re supposed to be a friendly nation.”[/B]
Louis also defended Aiken’s decision to sell two more gigs following the first three sold concerts; “As they sold out they kept adding gigs and that’s what anyone would have done.”
He said, “I feel it’s really unfair that a handful of people can hold the country to ransom,” he added, “I’m 100% on [Peter Aiken and Garth Brooks’] side.”
Of Brooks’ decision to pull out of all five concerts rather than do the first three, Louis suggested the issue is more complicated than it seems.
"I think they had production in place for five, a TV show, lots of stuff behind the scenes going on we dont’ know about, 100s working on it behind the scenes.
[B]
He suggested the fallout will have far reaching consequences for the country’s reputation.
“He was coming here and it was going to be part of history for him. This will go around the world now that we couldn’t run five concerts. Maybe Bob Geldof was right - banana republic.”
Of Ireland’s future as a pull for big name acts, he said, “I think everyone is going to be scared now to book acts in Ireland.”[/B]
However, Louis added that Aiken and Brooks “won’t let the people down” and suggested they may schedule alternative dates next year in “Belfast, Cork or Limerick.”
Our country’s standing will be enhanced now that we’ve told this cunt to fuck off.
Not in the least. Only a fool would think this. A fool. And you sir, you are a fool.
You’re making a show of yourself here. Brooks could have played 3 gigs but the childish cunt threw all the toys out of the pram. He’s the real villain.
this seems apt for all concerned - they can take comfort in these lyrics
And now I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I’d have had to miss the dance