Council licensing officials to meet promoters about Streisand concert

SENIOR local government officials who gave the go-ahead to last week’s Barbra Streisand concert are to meet the promoters for talks about the chaos surrounding the event.

Traffic delays, parking problems, the stewards and seating arrangements triggered hundreds of complaints from angry concert-goers who paid up to €552 a ticket for the event a week ago.

Next week Kildare County Council licensing officials are to meet promoters, MCD, to discuss what went wrong at the Celbridge concert, which drew 17,000 fans.

Council spokesman Charlie Talbot said: “We will be dealing with any issues that have come to our attention during the course of the concert, in the week up to the concert or indeed since the concert finished last Saturday.”

Mr Talbot declined to be drawn further on the exact agenda for next week’s meeting but admitted the council had received complaints about the Castletown House event from angry fans.

Senior officers from the council, which licenses public events like concerts, gave the go-ahead on July 4 after Dún Laoghaire firm MCD applied for permission on March 23.

In granting permission, the authority placed 113 conditions on MCD and required the firm to put up a €185,000 surety.

“Non-compliance with conditions may result in the authority deducting part of the surety or withholding the entire surety,” the licence to MCD states.

“Within three months after the event the applicant is required to submit a detailed report which shall clearly indicate how each condition has been complied with in full.”

MCD also has to provide back-up evidence, if necessary, and will get its money back if the council agrees it has kept to the 113 conditions.

There is no suggestion that the concert breached any of the licence conditions.

Fans complained of lengthy delays in reaching the venue, about the stewards and at finding other fans in their seats.

Despite repeated attempts by the Irish Examiner to get a comment from Streisand, none has been forthcoming from her agent Sunshine, Sachs and Associates of New York.

Fans with complaints are asked to write to Denis Desmond, MCD, 7 Park Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.