Duffy: GAA was "let down" by DCC's Garth Brooks decision
January 27, 2015
Croke Park could lose two Garth Brooks concerts
Paraic Duffy says Dublin City Council's refusal to grant a licence for five Garth Brooks concerts during the summer was "incomprehensible'.
The GAA director-general mentions the saga during his annual address to next month's saga, writing:
"I (more than most) appreciate the sentiment that we have all heard and said enough about the Garth Brooks concerts issue; I would certainly prefer not to have to discuss it in my Annual Report.
"Croke Park and the GAA felt let down by this whole process. Most people who followed the Garth Brooks affair found the decision to refuse a licence for five concerts incomprehensible. And they were right.
"Consider the reality of what we all knew when the licence application for five concerts was submitted: DCC had created a legitimate expectation that a licence would be granted for five concerts; 400,000 people - 330,000 of our own citizens and 70,000 tourists from abroad - had paid a substantial sum of money to buy tickets; and the concerts were set to present the country with the gift of a massive economic uplift.
"DCC told us that the decision reached was, I quote, 'appropriate, balanced and reasonable'. But was it so for the 400,000 people who had already bought tickets and who were looking forward hugely to the concerts?
"We had the opportunity to enjoy a unique experience that we would have fondly remembered for years. We lost all of this, just as the GAA lost out in all the ways I have identified."
In his report, the Monaghan man also expresses his regret over the "risk" that "backfired" and led to the Mayo / Kerry All-Ireland SFC semi-final replay being staged in Limerick:
"The decision to fix the Kerry v Mayo All-Ireland football semi-final replay for Limerick, due to the nonavailability of Croke Park because of the Penn State/UCF American football game, was greeted with indignation by many supporters - and especially by supporters of Mayo - and embroiled the Association in a major controversy.
"In the latter context, and when emotions are high, it becomes next to impossible to have one's case heard and considered. Before making the case here, I have to acknowledge that we took a risk that backfired on us, a consequence of what proved to be an over-optimistic assessment of the unlikelihood of a replay. A decision made in the best interests of the Association ended up causing offence to supporters, an outcome that I very much regret."
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