Croke Park residents group say five Garth concerts is “unacceptable”

It's beginning to look a lot like 2014...

A group representing residents in the Clonliffe and Croke Park areas have voiced their objection to Garth Brooks' five gigs next September. The country singer was originally set to play just two gigs in Croke Park, however, three additional nights were added as tickets went on sale this morning. On RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, the group's spokesperson Colm Stephens said that it is unacceptable for Croke Park to host five concerts next year. Previously, An Bord Pleanála imposed a limit on the number of concerts that can take place in the stadium. Mr Stephens told Bryne: "Nothing has changed. The stadium is in the middle of a residential area." He added that in allowing additional events to take place in Croke Park, Dublin City Council are ignoring the wishes of local residents. In 2014, Garth Brooks famously sold out five concerts in the Dublin venue, however, they were all cancelled after Dublin City Council refused to give licences for two of them. Instead of continuing with the three shows, Brooks insisted he play all five or none at all. As the licences for the two gigs were never granted, he had to offer refunds to every single ticket holder and the concerts never went ahead. Tickets for next year's gigs went on sale this morning, though it didn't go as smoothly as many had hoped. Over 300,000 fans flocked to Ticketmaster with the hopes of nabbing a ticket for the singer's upcoming concerts. However, many were left disappointed and found themselves in an online queue behind over 100,000 people. Fortunately for some, three additional dates were added due to the huge demand. Brooks will now play Dublin's Croke Park on Friday 9, Saturday 10, Sunday 11, Friday 16 and Saturday 17 of September 2022. The Irish dates are the only European gigs Garth will play next year.