Garth Brooks concerts: Detectives investigate fake objections to gigs

Detectives are investigating the possibility that some of the complaints that led to the Garth Brooks concerts being cancelled were forgeries.

Yvonne Corbet Bryan (41), who lives just off Clonliffe Road close to Croke Park, says she was shocked to receive a letter two weeks ago from Dublin City Council which acknowledged receipt of her submission against the concerts.

“Two weeks ago I received a letter which had my address on it, but the name of a woman down the road. I passed it down to her because I thought it was hers. And she said she never made any submission either.”

“She rang Dublin City Council to tell them that she never made a complaint. And detectives arrived last Monday to see if I wanted to sign a statement.”

“They asked me to sign a statement that my neighbour never lived at this address and that no complaint was made by either her or me from this address.”

“I am disgusted by this. I don’t think it’s one person doing this. I think it’s a group of people.”

Ms Corbet Bryan said she plans to pursue the false use of her address.

“I won’t let this drop. I’m going to keep going with this. You wonder how many are fraudulent.”

She added: “Please God the concerts will go ahead. I’m disgusted over this. My whole family is going. I couldn’t get tickets but my sisters and brothers and relations are going. And they are Croke Park residents as well.”

“They’ve taken the fun factor out of it. I just think, ‘don’t be a killjoy’. I like to take my kids down whenever there’s a concert to just watch all the people, and watch the craic.”

And resident Susan Mangan, who helped organise a petition of 900 signatures in favour of all five Brooks gigs, said: “A lot of the community want these concerts to go ahead. We got 900 signatures.”

Meanwhile, concert promoter Peter Aiken flew to the US this morning in a last-ditch attempt to persuade Garth Brooks to go ahead with the three permitted concerts in Croke Park.