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LIKE THEM OR not, it’s hard to deny that when it comes to iconic concert stages U2 seem to know what they’re doing.
The Artane rock behemoths have made it something of a calling card that each of their album tours will have a specific hook to make things memorable for their audience, from Zooropa’s Macphisto and The Fly to Popmart’s lemon, Vertigo’s LED curtains and stage ramps to the huge stage structure of their 360 tour.
And now a northside Dublin councillor wants to immortalise the band’s various concert stages by finding a spot somewhere in the county to display them.
Fianna Fáil councillor Darragh Butler brought the issue up at a recent Fingal county council meeting and the issue is due to be discussed again at today’s meeting.
“In terms of the massive world-wide tourism potential, to ask the Chief Executive to investigate U2′s desire to display the stages from their past tours at a permanent location in Dublin, potentially I would like to suggest, somewhere in north Fingal?” was Butler’s question to the council.
“It’s funny the interest this is getting,” he told TheJournal.ie.
It came from listening to the Tony Fenton interview with Bono where he mentioned that he’d love to put these stages somewhere.
That interview, the veteran DJ’s last recorded, saw Bono mention his enthusiasm for the project.
“What I would actually like to do – the band’s dream is to have a site in Dublin where we could show these stages and people could walk on them and walk around them,” the singer said.
At some point I would love to do that. I think they’re interesting sculpturally, and as objects.
“I was just putting it out as an option for consideration,” says Butler.
We’d have to see if it’s economically viable, but it would be some coup for local tourism if it were to happen, be that in a temporary or more permanent fashion.
The response I got is that the economic development unit of the council will explore the merits of the idea as a potential tourism project. So I guess we’ll see, but I just wanted to put the idea out there.
And where would Butler like the exhibit to happen, given the rather large nature of most of U2′s stage offerings?
“Well I’m based in Swords, so somewhere in the north of the county or Fingal would obviously be what I would prefer,” says Butler.
But there’s a big push for tourism in Dublin at present, and we can see what the payback would be in jobs – so it’s something I’d really love to see happen.
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Let’s blame Airbnb for a housing shortage that FG are unwilling and incapable of solving. Reduce capital gain tax and incentivise new developments through tax. Stop the building height restrictions. Half of north Dublin City is in ruin with empty houses all over it.
A few weeks ago he said he wasn’t going regulate it, I think this guy is making it up as he goes along.
Kirk he’s trying to be popular FG leadership coming up ok
A lot of people that rent out rooms etc on Airbnb, do so out of necessity. It provides an income supplement that many people needed during the height of the recession because of the austerity imposed by the government. Of course some people are going to make a fortune out of it, and more luck to them. In my opinion though, regulating Airbnb will only serve as a tax collecting tool, not something that will actually fix the housing crisis. I think their first port of call should be to reduce the tax on rental income that landlords have to pay. This would encourage more people to invest in property, as it would mean the property would pay for itself when rented out!
@pheilum. A lot of people also rent out entire properties on a full-time basis via airbnb. I agree that it won’t fix the housing crisis, but I strongly believe that those renting out full time should be regulated. They should have to apply for planning permission for change of use. After all, the premises is no longer a home. They should pay taxes and they should have to ensure that they meet health and safety standards. A person occasionally renting out a spare room entirely different.
Well if you agree that it won’t fix the housing crisis what is the problem? Btw who said they don’t pay taxes?
Coveney be better off regulating hotel prices in city’s over weekends ?
Only if he wants hotels to go out of business. Hotel prices are the sort of thing that don’t need regulation. If they’re too high, the rooms remain empty. If they’re too low, the hotel runs at a loss. Encouraging the building of more hotels – or the use of houses and apartments as short-term lets – would drive hotel prices down.
Convey, ask Europe what to do. If it suits FG, go for it , If not , ignore em. Ain’t that the FG way ?
Willy FG are a facist party
Regulate, regulate, regulate.
Keep regulating so that any competition to the status quo is abolished.
Keep regulating so that home owners can’t generate a small side income without being hammered with taxes.
Keep regulating so that there is no more innovation.
Keep regulating so that costs to employers are driver up thereby squeezing wages.
Keep regulating, Keep regulating, Keep regulating FFS.
Why isn’t there anyone standing up for property rights? Why is it the individual property owners responsibility to solve the housing crisis caused by government? The little guy paying the bills yet again
I don’t do ab&b but surely it’s a property owner’s responsibility to do what they want with he property they pay for?
Airbnb is responsible for bringing in tourists who spend a lot of €€€€€€€€, thread carefully.
Nanny state strikes again….
The more he interferes with the rental market the more flee from it ..including his beloved large professional landlord firms
The headline makes it sound like he’s looking for a brown envelope. “Satisfactory arrangement”, I wonder what that could mean?
When they say It’s not right, what they really mean is it exposes the government’s failure to adequately implement any real policy to address housing shortages. It has nothing to do with being right and everything to with making the government look incompetent and its housing policy look non-existent.
Airbnb overall increases the supply of accommodation. It has the potential to take an under-utilised resource… a house or apartment which is vacant part of the time or a place someone does not want to let long term and makes it available on the market.
Governments around the world are going to have to get used to a sharing economy and too technology easily, cheaply and efficiently connecting individuals with something to share with someone else that has need.
Why doesn’t he keep his fat nose out of our business?
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