A judge has rejected a bid by locals to ban the sale of alcohol at the Stone Roses and Kodaline concerts, as well as the Longitude music festival in Dublin’s Marlay Park.
by Tom Tuite
You’ll be able to buy drink at this summer’s biggest events in Marlay Park, despite the best efforts of a group of residents in Rathfarnham.
Kodaline are playing Marlay Park in Rathfarnham on 8 July, while The Stone Roses will take to the stage in front of 40,000 fans the following day.
The three-day Longitude Festival – featuring dozens of acts – will also take place at Marlay Park from 15 July-17 July, with all the shows being put on by promoters MCD.
Events Bars & Catering (Facilities MGT Ireland) Ltd applied to Dublin District Court for an occasional licence to serve alcohol at the events however they faced an objection by 25 concerned Rathfarnham residents, some fearing a repeat of the trouble that broke out during concerts in Phoenix Park in 2012.
A ‘Berlin-type wall’
The locals went to court on Wednesday to complain about under-age drinking, inebriated concert goes urinating in public places, anti-social behaviour and not being able to get access to their homes. They claimed there was a “Berlin type wall” in a “lock-down” of the south Dublin suburb during the shows.
However, Judge Michael Coghlan denied their objection. He said there was a need for venues in many areas and he told one resident he must have known the concerts would not be a “teetotaller convention.”
Garda Sergeant Michael Phelan said there would be 190 Gardaí on duty for the Kodaline and Stone Roses concerts inside and outside the venue. There will be 180 Gardaí on duty for the Longitude Festival, he added.
He explained that Dublin Bus will have detours so concert goers travelling to the shows will be left off at Marlay Park in a Garda controlled zone. Over the years Gardaí have increased the number of officers on duty during concerts at the park, he also said.
Entrances to housing estates in the area would be sealed off to prevent concert goers going into the residential areas around Marlay Park. Parking would be provided inside the venue and concert goers would not be allowed to park in nearby estates.
He said the concerts are due to finish up at around 10pm and gardai will remain the area until midnight or 12.30am. They would also be liaising with licensed premises in the area about alcohol sales.
Judge Coghlan said that there had to be evidence of specific criminal damage incidents during the previous events there or that they were not adequately policed in the past.
“I was interested to hear if there was a prevalence of public order breaches, anti-social behaviour or violent incidents and the sergeant suggests that on the Richter scale things it was well down,” he said. He also said there was no evidence of mayhem or widespread lawlessness at previous concerts in the park.
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