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Garth Brooks in Croke Park. Niall Carson

Croke Park chief confident that Garth Brooks concerts will get the green light for July

Local residents have raised objections to the series of gigs in late July.

CROKE PARK STADIUM Director Peter McKenna is confident that the Garth Brooks concerts will go ahead this summer and that the concerns of local residents near the venue will be alleviated

Brooks has sold out at the stadium from Friday July 25th-Tuesday July 29th in a series of gigs that will see the GAA benefit to the tune of approximately โ‚ฌ3.75m. Itโ€™s set to be a bumper summer for Croke Park with One Direction playing at the venue from Friday May 23rd-Sunday May 25th.

Local residents are unhappy about the Brooks concerts taking place and a mediation process chaired by Labour Relations Commission chief Kieran Mulvey is currently under way.

But McKenna is confident those issues will be resolved.

โ€œNo (doubts) and I say that with as much confidence as I canโ€, stated McKenna. โ€œObviously weโ€™ve got to go and actually get a licence, and that is a gift of the city council. But by the time we make our submission, weโ€™ll have taken soundings from 27,000 households.

โ€œThatโ€™s a huge number, and is really informing our plan. So what we put in front Dublin City Council will be a robust document that will take feelings from all over the area.

โ€œWeโ€™re in a continuous dialogue with the local community. That whole process is being chaired by Kieran Mulvey and heโ€™s doing a great job. Weโ€™re working through the issues.

โ€œWe held an full day event with members of the local community here last Saturday, and any issues people had.โ€

Peter McKenna Peter McKenna. Cathal Noonan / INPHO Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO

McKenna described as โ€˜slightly clumsyโ€™ the legislative process that sees tickets being sold for an event before it gets a licence.

โ€œPart of the feedback weโ€™ve had is how we can sell tickets for an event we donโ€™t have a licence for. To have proper consultation, people should have to apply for the licence first, and then go for tickets. Itโ€™s the same with the Pheonix Park or Marley Park or wherever.

โ€œIt seems to me to be the cart before the horse. So I can understand why people get annoyed, because the legislation is slightly clumsy. As bizarre as it may seem, a change there might help regulate the whole issue for local communities.โ€

Politicians told โ€œdonโ€™t negotiateโ€ on Garth Brooks concerts

Proposed mediation process for Garth Brooks concerts โ€˜most disappointingโ€™ say residents

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