now some Croke Park Residents want all five gigs to run

By Sam Griffin

WHILE many residents and businesses near Croke Park have been vocal in their opposition to the Garth Brooks gigs, dozens of other locals say that they have been misrepresented and want the concerts to go ahead.

Now, a group called Local Residents Supporting Garth Brooks has formed and they say they want all five concerts to go ahead.

A petition distributed at a meeting yesterday reads: "In signing this petition we as residents wish to acknowledge that we were not consulted by either Croke Park or any of the residents groups who claim to be acting in our name."

legacy fund

The group is calling for the full implementation of mediator Kieran Mulvey's Report, which recommended that a €500,000 legacy fund be made available for the area and a commitment from the GAA that no more than three concerts in a row should ever be held in Croke Park again.

Speaking after the meeting, one of the organisers Susan Mangan said that residents have been "misrepresented" and that those opposed to the concerts are actually a minority of local residents in the Croke Park area.

"The main reason for setting this up was because there is a so-called committee representing the wider group when it doesn't," she told the Herald.

"These concerts are a small inconvenience for the amount of goodness they bring to the area. Every shop here is going to be down takings for the five nights they would have worked so it's a major blow."

dismissed

The residents now plan to hold a protest rally at 2pm on Sunday. However, Croke Park Streets Committee Chairman Eamon O'Brien last night dismissed the claims by these residents and said that they had an opportunity to raise these issues during the consultation process with the concert promoters.

Meanwhile, the Dublin North Business and Cultural Community, which represents over 120 businesses in the north inner city, has called on Dublin City Council to allow all five concerts to proceed.

Secretary Ian Ferris added: "This decision by Dublin City Council completely fails to take cognisance of the income that would be lost people in the area and outside this area from casual traders to pubs, shops, and everyone."

hnews@herald.ie