Croke Park officials are warning residents that it is vital they pick up their residents passes to be able to gain access to their homes now that concert season kicks off this month.
Singer Ed Sheeran will get this year’s slew of high profile concerts underway at Croke Park on April 23rd and 24th while up to five Garth Brooks gigs will be held in September after a gap of almost three years due to the pandemic.
In a special local resident update, officials revealed that only the 2022 Garda residents pass will be valid for use from this weekend for the rest of the year.
In a statement, Croke Park officials said: “Garda resident passes only will be valid. Households inside the Garda event day cordon can collect their passes from Fitzgibbon St Garda Station but identification and proof of address must be brought along.”
Gardaí have also advised officials that there will be a limit of three passes per household, except in exceptional circumstances.
Any household needing more than three passes should contact the garda special events team in Fitzgibbon Street station regarding their specific needs.
The statement thanked local residents and businesses for their “continued support and cooperation during stadium events” which they “greatly appreciate”.
Ongoing discussions
A special working group in relation to the 2022 concerts in the stadium was established last October to continue the direct engagement between Croke Park, Aiken Promotions, other stakeholders and the local community.
A residents group said that negotiations with Croke Park officials and Aiken Promotions over a range of issues surrounding the five planned Garth Brooks concerts are continuing to be ironed out.
The District 7 Community Alliance, which represents hundreds of residents and businesses in areas just outside the primary cordon around Croke Park, had aired their concerns late last year over several concert issues.
The issues centre around security, parking, traffic management and waste concerns but a spokesperson for the Alliance said that meetings are ongoing with Dublin City Council officials, Aiken Promotions, Croke Park management and gardai.
The American country star is now set to take to the stage on five dates in September. Croke Park will be the only European venue Brooks will play this year.
Brooks was famously denied a license to play five nights in Croke Park in 2014 by Dublin City Council, leading to the cancellation of all concerts, saying he would only play five or none.
Tony Kelly, chairman of the Alliance revealed that discussions are “ongoing” between all representatives and are “happy” so far with how they have “engaged” with them.
“Aiken Promotions seem anxious to address our concerns, and so we have our fingers crossed that the negotiations continue to go well,” added Mr Kelly.
Mr Kelly previously said the Alliance saw no “insurmountable problems facing residents but that businesses wanted Croke Park, DCC officials, gardaí and Aiken Promotions to listen” to them.
