Mr. Owen Keegan:

I have some familiarity with Marlay Park, as I was the manager of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. In my experience, there was a more positive relationship between the residents in the immediate area, the promoter and the local authority. There was active engagement and a great deal of pre-consultation. Generally, the residents were on board. While they accepted that there would be a degree of disruption, they were generally supportive. I only recall a very small number of objections to event licence applications being received. There was an intense process of engagement with the residents on the concerts and other issues.

The contrast between the Croke Park situation and other venues is significant. In the case of the former, serious issues remain unresolved and there is a difficult relationship between the Croke Park authorities and residents. The situation might be more difficult for Croke Park because it is in the middle of a residential area, but a great deal more work needs to be done to mediate a degree of agreement among the residents. It emerged recently that there is support for concerts, but significant issues remain to be resolved. The onus is on the promoter and the venue manager to handle that process.