THE COUNCIL responsible for a series of concerts at Marlay Park in Dublin later this month have said they are talking to promoters MCD to ensure there is not a repeat of violent scenes at a recent Phoenix Park concert.
Some 53 different conditions have been attached to the licence given to MCD by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for the three concerts at Marlay Park.
The one that has been identified as being potentially troublesome is the David Guetta concert on August 24th.
The Van Morrison concert will attract an older audience while the joint Kasabian/Noel Gallagher gig is also perceived as being less risky.
Conditions include the right of gardaí to alter security arrangements and the sale of spirits depending on the artists who are performing.
A spokeswoman for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown council said: “Senior council personnel are currently . . . meeting all relevant parties in relation to the operational detail of the Marlay Park concerts due to take place later this month, with a view to ensuring that they take place without incident.”
Dublin City councillor Mary Fitz-patrick has invited MCD, the Garda and the Office of Public Works, which runs the park, to give evidence to the Dublin Joint Policing Committee, which she chairs, to review the management of the Swedish House Mafia gig in Phoenix Park in July.
She said it was vital to get to the bottom of what happened at the concert which resulted in two deaths from suspected drug overdoses, six stabbings and multiple arrests.
“Each of the authorities involved in every stage of planning and managing this event has questions to answer,” she said.
In a covering letter to a report about the Swedish House Mafia concert, which was submitted to Minister for Justice Alan Shatter, the Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan blamed MCD for inadequate security, poor access to CCTV footage and an event-control system that was “not fit for purpose”.
The report has not been published for operational reasons.
However, MCD is unhappy with the commissioner’s finding, saying he does not mention the Garda’s own responsibilities in relation to security outside the venue.
MCD said gardaí had only objected to the security arrangements in retrospect.
“There was drinking going on all day outside the Courts of Criminal Justice and in the streets. We’ll take our responsibility for what happened inside the arena, but that was their domain,” said one of the organisers.
When asked if gardaí bore any responsibility for what happened, a Garda spokesman said: “A report has been submitted to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence in relation to this matter. It would not be appropriate for An Garda Síochána to comment further at this time.”
A spokesman for the Office of Public Works, which has responsibility for the Phoenix Park, said it would comply with whatever recommendations the Garda Commissioner made about future events in the park.
He said the office had event-planning meetings with the promoters prior to the concert but could not have anticipated the events which unfolded.
“We didn’t know what sort of clientele might be attending, but I don’t think anyone could have envisaged what happened.”
