What went wrong at Slane on Saturday night and Sunday morning? Until they finally admitted problems late last night, the organisers of the Oasis concert, as well as the Garda Siochana and Dublin Bus, said nothing. According to the loud protests from people who attended, a great deal.
Eyewitnesses tell us that, for many, pleasure turned to misery at an early stage. People had to force a passage through the walkway to the arena where they viewed the event. They found crowd control lax. There were too few bars and too few toilets, but too many people carrying bottles. Fist fights broke out.
But the most distressing part came late, when the fans tried to go home. Dublin Bus claims that it put 300 vehicles on the route and that everybody got away by 2am. This is strongly disputed by passengers who say that they encountered immense difficulty and delay.
Some describe arriving back as late as 5am. A few walked to neighbouring towns and somehow found taxis. There are stories of stragglers sitting by the roadside or even sleeping in ditches. And there are reports of disgraceful behaviour, like bus passengers throwing bottles on to the roofs of passing cars.
In view of Slane Castle's long experience of running rock concerts -- experience presumably shared by the Garda Siochana, private security and transport operators -- this is quite extraordinary. It also calls into question the value for money offered. Fans paid €80 admission and bus fares of €20. For this, they were entitled to comfort as well as music.
Source: www.independent.ie
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