Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Dublin city manager and his staff for attending before us. I now represent part of the Drumcondra area which is part of the electoral area. I have attended many meetings down the years not with the residents of Clonliffe Road in the main Drumcondra area but with the residents of Iona Road and Iveragh Road. It is true there is a huge division about what exactly is allowed and what is not allowed. Some residents are of the opinion that three concerts are allowed full stop and that there can be no extra ones. Even seeking to have five concerts was an extra number on top on the three concerts that were allowed. Many residents are of that opinion. Officials have attended meetings where this point has been raised several times and obviously it has been conveyed to Mr. Keegan.

When Mr. Peter Aiken appeared before this committee on Wednesday he said at point 6 of his statement that the event manager for Aiken Promotions called the Dublin City Council manager to inform him of the plans for additional shows and that Mr. Keegan expressed his appreciation for the courtesy of letting him know. It seems the number had racheted up from two concerts to three, to four and then to five. Is it true that is the way Mr. Keegan responded on 1 February? That does not seem a strong response in terms of putting out a warning signal to the promoter that those plans were way over the top. Rather it seems a very wishy-washy response. At point 10 of Mr. Aiken's statement, Mr. Keegan mentioned that it would be a big ask. It seems from 1 February to 12 February Mr. Keegan had changed his view and he said that this would be a big ask. It would have been a very big ask to look for five concerts. I do not dispute for one minute that Mr. Keegan made Aiken Promotions aware of the position, but did Mr. Keegan make it clear on every occasion and in no uncertain terms that the holding of this number of concerts would be very difficult in view of the area and the commitments that had been made to residents? I am curious about that point.

At point 24 of Mr. Aiken's statement, he mentioned that he had a telephone conversation with Mr. Keegan and a suggestion was made that there could be a fourth concert. I wonder how it could be said that there was a possibility of another concert and that this process was in motion. One had to make a decision and it appears that one was negotiating at that point as to whether it would be three or four concerts. I find it difficult to understand why that would be said. It seems very wrong.

Was the issue of Garda traffic controls and traffic management discussed at any stage? I have been told that Inspector Tony Gallagher might have attended these meetings. At any of these meetings was it indicated that there could be three, four or five concerts or was it indicated that the Garda would be managing the attendance at one concert a day without giving the figure for the total number of concerts? I do not know what answer was given in that respect. I am curious about that. There were issues surrounding the parking of coaches and buses linking to park and ride facilities. The issue of where buses would park has been a major one in the Drumcondra area. The residents have been complaining for years about buses parking in the wrong places and blocking up entrances and areas. Some residents have agreements on parking but it has always been a big issue.

Did Mr. Keegan have any contact, discussions, or conversations with any other promoters or venues regarding the hosting of some of the concerts? There was a suggestion that three could be held in Croke Park and two could be held elsewhere. Who were those promoters or what were those venues? What date did the first contact take place? As part of Mr. Keegan's initial discussions with the GAA and Aiken Promotions, there was mention of the time it would take to build a stage if the concert was to be held somewhere else and whether it could be built within a day at another venue. I find it difficult to understand that it could be built within a day but were there any discussions about that?

Mr. Keegan mentioned that there were 385 objections, 11 of which were deemed bogus and passed on to the Garda, which leaves us with the figure of 374. It was also reported by the Garda that approximately 40% of the submissions received were bogus. That does not seem to be the case from what Mr. Keegan has said. It is a Garda matter that is being investigated. Those figures were mentioned and Mr. Keegan might confirm the number for us.

Is it the case that it is mentioned in An Bord Pleanála's decision on the holding of three concerts in Croke Park in 1993 that it would be a requirement to apply for a licence to hold any more concerts?

Mr. Keegan mentioned there is a precedent for four consecutive concerts but it should have been made much clearer that there was no precedent for five consecutive concerts. I do not know whether this message was got across to Aiken Promotions or the GAA but getting it across seemed to be the problem. Is Mr. Keegan satisfied in his own mind that Dublin City Council sufficiently warned Aiken Promotions and the GAA that there would be a very serious issue? It does not appear to me that this was pushed home hard enough.

I know Clonliffe Road. My family home was there until we sold it nine years ago. My aunt used to be involved with the residents and their consultations at the time. Whether we like it, there is a perception that we were overstepping the mark of three concerts in any one year. Given that three concerts had already been held, to have an extra three, four or five would have created in the minds of some of the residents, though not all, that this was going outside anything that was agreed during the redevelopment.

What are we going to do into the future? Are there are plans to look at these licensing laws? While we have to look at the area of legislation, does Dublin City Council have plans to look at what needs to be done? Will there be an appeals mechanism or a proper mechanism to scrutinise these decisions? Will a time period for the granting of licences be set that will give enough time for people to get out and sell tickets? The perception from the event organisers and the GAA is that they were adamant they were going to get these concerts, and they would not have gone out and sold the tickets if they did not think that. Will Mr. Keegan tell us what is planned for the future?

An awful lot of people have lost out. It is not just tourism; it is also the people who have stalls and those who bought hats. There was a little industry around the area, including for local businesses. It is a huge embarrassment to this country the way it has gone. I am not blaming Mr. Keegan. I know he followed the process and I understand that. However, we have to do something in pulling all the residents together and putting proper mechanisms in place.