The acknowledgement by Peter McKenna, Croke Park Director, of the need for a ‘serious rethink’ on big concerts at Croke Park is to be welcomed, according to local representative Senator Paschal Donohoe. This is in response to a huge public meeting earlier this week where resident’s anger boiled over in relation to the U2 concerts and ongoing local problems.
“Everybody accepts that Croke Park is a national institution that plays a huge role in our national sporting life. However it’s commercial development and the huge numbers now regularly attending it have created huge problems for local residents.”
“Local residents find it very hard to get to and from their own homes during match days. Serious problems exist in relation to the maintenance of the local area after big events. This was brought to boiling point when Dublin City Council granted permission for continuous 44 hour works in preparation for the U2 concerts”.
“While there has been acknowledgement of these problems for some time there has never been a serious and comprehensive plan to address them. It is good to hear Mr McKenna state that there must be a rethink but Croke Park, Dublin City Council and An Garda Siochana must work together to develop better plans to maintain a better balance between Croke Park and the needs of local residents”.