Guidelines ‘will not stop another Garth Brooks fiasco’

Last summer’s Garth Brooks concert “fiasco”, which cost the Irish economy up to €50m in lost tourism revenue, “could easily happen again” despite new Government guidelines to address the controversy.

Fianna Fáil transport spokesman, Timmy Dooley, made the claim yesterday as he finally put a bill he drew up 12 months ago over the licensing issue before the Dáil – hitting out at the significant delay he says is caused by the way the Oireachtas is run.

On Tuesday, Environment Minister Alan Kelly published revised licensing rules he said will ensure there is no repeat of the debacle. The updated regulations were decided in the aftermath of what happened, and mean it will now be mandatory for promoters to have a pre-application consultation meeting with local authorities before planning an event.