ENDA KENNY GOT 1,000 emails about the cancelled Garth Brooks concerts – some begging him to intervene, others questioning why he should get involved at all.
A freedom of information request by TV3 News has revealed the extent of the correspondence received by the Department of the Taoiseach over the issue.
Last month’s refusal by Dublin City Council to grant a licence for two of the five concerts at Croke Park resulted in the country music star cancelling all five gigs.
At the height of the crisis, which convulsed the nation for weeks, Kenny asked the labour relations expert Kieran Mulvey to arrange a meeting between City Manager Owen Keegan and Lord Mayor Christy Burke in a bid to resolve the matter.
However, no resolution was found and the concerts did not go ahead last month. A generic reply was sent to those who wrote to the Department acknowledging that the issue had not been handled well.
“The cancellation of these concerts is a loss to this country not only in terms of the impact on the goodwill of Garth Brooks fans but also for the economy,” the reply states, adding that the Taiseach cannot intervene in planning matters.
Here’s what some of the emails to the Taoiseach said:
One fan wrote that the country needed to be saved:
“I want to ask you to do something to save this country from a complete shambles. The chance is there and you need to grab it…. We listened to you when you were begging for votes and granted your wish, now it’s time for you to pay us back.”
Another argued:
They added:
“I would call on you as Taoiseach to do everything in your power to make an exception for these concerts.”
Another member of the public wrote:
“I am writing to you in desperation to ask you to intervene in this disaster… you can’t stand idly by and let it fall away…
One fan wrote:
“By changing this law it would bring great happiness to many and the country as a whole…”
However, not everyone agreed that Enda should intervene:
They added:
Why on EARTH is the office of An Taoiseach getting involved? The planning laws were breached by Croke Park, Mr Brooks and Aiken Promotions. End of Story.”
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