Council meets Streisand promoters

Officials of Kildare County Council yesterday met concert promoters MCD about events at the controversial Barbra Streisand concert…

Officials of Kildare County Council yesterday met concert promoters MCD about events at the controversial Barbra Streisand concert at Castletown House a fortnight ago.

The council, which issued a licence for the concert, said that it would make its first statement on the controversy today.

The concert, which was one of the most expensive held in the country, with some tickets costing more than €500, was strongly criticised by many fans who experienced lengthy delays in gaining access to the site or who had difficulties finding their seats.

MCD has established a specialist committee to examine problems at the concert. The committee, to be chaired by former Garda commissioner Pat Byrne, includes health and safety officer Michael Slattery, Julian Davis, who was communications consultant on the Special Olympics, as well as senior MCD personnel Denis Desmond and Justin Green.

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A spokesman for the council confirmed last night that the officials met MCD yesterday. The spokesman said a statement would be issued today.

The council has so far made no comment about the controversy surrounding the concert.

Asked whether the council was happy with how the event was operated and whether MCD had complied with the terms and conditions set out in the licence, the spokesman said: "It would not be appropriate today to say whether or not the council was satisfied." Fans who missed part of the concert as a result of being stuck in traffic have claimed that there was only one entrance to the car park to cater for up 17,000 people attending the event.

Many concert goers also maintained that there were very few stewards on hand to direct them to the appropriate seats. Some said their seats did not appear to exist and others found their places already occupied when they arrived to claim them.

MCD issued an apology on the morning after the event which cited traffic problems, weather conditions and "opportunistic fans" taking seats which had not been assigned to them as the causes of the problems.

They invited people affected to write to Mr Desmond about issues arising from the concert.

Martin Wall

Martin Wall

Martin Wall is the former Washington Correspondent of The Irish Times. He was previously industry correspondent