Venue’s future in doubt after Streisand gig fiasco

THE future of Co Kildare’s Castletown House as a venue for large-scale concerts could be decided by an inquiry into the chaos surrounding Barbra Streisand’s gig at the weekend.

Fans who paid up to €552 to watch the US singer of hits like The Way We Were were left fuming over traffic delays, car parking, seating arrangements and the stewards.

They have bombarded newspapers, website forums as well as radio shows like RTÉ’s Liveline with their grievances over Saturday’s concert, which was organised by Dún Laoghaire’s MCD Promotions.

Yesterday the Office of Public Works, the Government agency which owns Castletown House, said it was considering whether to hold any more large-scale concerts at the Celbridge venue in future.

“We are going to await the findings of MCD’s investigation into the Barbra Streisand concert though we won’t get involved in that inquiry,” said an OPW spokesman yesterday.

“We will use the findings to see if we can use the venue in future for gigs of the magnitude of Barbra Streisand’s on Saturday.”

Her concert was the first time the venue had held such an event since they bought the house in 1994.

The anger among fans about the gig comes as the OPW prepares to open up Castletown House to the public for the first time on Sunday with a prestigious exhibition of art from the Republic and the North.

The OPW wants to increase visitor numbers to the grounds and house from the current 10,000 a year to 200,000 annually.

MCD Promotions has already announced an internal inquiry into problems at the Streisand concert and has apologised to fans twice.

The firm has already met the Government’s National Consumer Agency (NCA) and promised to keep it informed about progress.

The NCA has received more than 100 complaints about the concert and is urging Streisand fans to write to MCD outlining their grievances.

Yesterday the Consumers’ Association of Ireland (CAI), revealed it is compiling its own dossier of complaints after receiving more than 200 letters, e-mails and phone calls from fans.

* Anyone with complaints is urged to write to Denis Desmond, MCD, 7 Park Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.