As restaurants continue to close, Joe McNamee discovers that a good location and the right menu are the keys to survival

THE promoters of the two sell-out concerts by Michael Bublé have defended the sound at the new Aviva Stadium, claiming there were “teething problems”.

ALL Slow Food events have an educational element as well as a hedonistic one. So when we gathered in Lismore recently we started our evening at Michael McGrath butcher’s shop on Main Street. We were all anxious to learn from this man whose skills have come down through four generations – his father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

FINAL preparations are under way for Ireland’s largest music festival with confirmation of the top bands set to hit the stage for the giant rock weekend.

Concert promoters MCD tonight insisted the 80,000 capacity was not breached at this year’s Slane Castle gig.

IRELAND’S largest music festival yesterday added a raft of eclectic acts to its growing line-up.

Ireland’s largest music festival added a raft of eclectic acts today to its growing line-up.

Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Hugh Orde will today reveal how he helped overhaul the force’s image at a talk in Dublin.

HUGH ORDE, chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, is to be guest speaker at a breakfast briefing organised by the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII), in Dublin next month.

GRANDFATHER of grunge Neil Young and the poet of New York, Lou Reed, are the latest big names to confirm gigs in Ireland this summer.

ANY FEARS that Boyzone wouldn’t attract the masses at the second time of asking were laid to rest yesterday as fans bagged more than 20,000 tickets for next year’s Dublin show.

BARBRA Streisand fans left furious by organisational chaos at her Irish concert last month should get their money back plus compensation, the Consumers’ Association of Ireland (CAI) has said.

AN inquiry is under way into the chaos faced by concert-goers who paid up to €552 to see Barbra Streisand.

FANS of singer Barbra Streisand have snapped up 12,000 tickets to see the star perform the only Irish show of her summer European tour — despite official ticket prices as high as €552.

FANS of rock giants REM were last night warned they could be refused entry to the band’s Dublin sold-out shows if they buy one of 122 stolen tickets.

THE battle between the country’s two leading concert promoters is about to heat up with a mystery music festival added to this summer’s calendar.

Job opportunities are now plentiful in a flourishing public relations industry, according to the newly elected president of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII).

JUSTIN GREEN, marketing and public relations director of MCD Productions, has been elected president of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) at the Institute’s Annual General Meeting.

Noel Baker

U2’s SUMMER concerts in Croke Park sold out in 50 minutes yesterday — smashing all previous Irish box office records.

John Breslin

TICKETMASTER stand to make up to half a million euro in service charges alone from ticket sales to Madonna’s concert in Slane Castle in August.

FANS of material girl Madonna spent almost €12,000 a minute yesterday on tickets for her concert in Slane this summer.

Santa's Kingdom in Punchestown opened for business at 9.30 this morning, despite an incident yesterday when a structure collapsed, injuring a member of staff.

DONEGAL will be playing host to the King of the Twist and the Heavyweight Champion of Rock this summer.

EVEN before he sets foot on Irish soil, Eminem - aka Marshall Mathers III - has already broken a record here.

Tickets for next summer's Robbie Williams gig in the Phoenix Park went on sale at 8am today.