A representative of the Croke Park Area Residents Association has explained why they are opposed to more than three concerts per year in the GAA stadium.
Colm Stephens, PRO for the Clonliffe & Croke Park Area Residents Association told Newstalk Breakfast that they were prepared to “bend over backwards” and compromise with the GAA for three concerts, but not for any more.
The residents association has called on Dublin City Council to reject any further applications for additional concerts in Croke Park in 2022 and voiced their opposition at a meeting with the GAA last night.
Mr Stephens pointed out that Croke Park was “a huge building” set in the middle of a residential area. There was no traffic infrastructure in place to deal with the crowds attending such events.
“It’s like having a nightclub for 80,000 people in the middle of a residential area.”
While some businesses such as shops and bars welcomed the concerts because of increased business, there were others who had to close when there were concerts in Croke Park, he said.
Mr Stephens said that there had been “hilarity” at the public meeting on Thursday night when Cork Park stadium director Peter McKenna had “made the poor mouth” saying that the GAA was “broke.”
It comes after news last month that country music singer Garth Brooks is planning five new shows for the stadium in 2022, with Dublin City Council confirming that it had granted a licence for concerts on September 9th, 10th and 11th of that year.
An application for two more dates, on September 16th and 17th, 2022, has also been received by the council.
Boding well for the plans, a Dublin councillor said on Thursday that the relationship between the GAA and the community around Croke Park is now “much better” than in 2014.
Cllr Nial Ring told Newstalk’s Pat Kenny show that there was “an absolutely toxic relationship between the GAA and the local community” in the past.
“It was all to do with the community centre and handball centre, which the GAA were trying to get from the community,” he said.
