Concerts fiasco - Reputation needs repair

There’s a joke doing the rounds: "What’s the definition of a loser?" Answer: "A Brazil fan with Garth Brooks tickets."

The 400,000 ticket holders might not find that very funny. Neither would promoter Peter Aiken who said he is ‘shattered’ by the decision to cancel the concerts, while insisting Dublin City Council never indicated in advance it would not allow the holding of five shows.

The blame game started with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin slugging it out in the Dáil over whether the Government should have intervened. Later, Brooks’ letter Aiken opening the way for the concerts to go ahead added fuel to the fiasco.

The decision by the chair Oireachtas communications committee to ask the GAA, Aiken Promotions and Dublin City Council to appear before the committee today may seem over the top. However, Ireland’s reputation as a major concert venue is in tatters, so all efforts to repair it should be made.