Big garda operation ahead of saturdays slane concert

A big policing operation will get underway on Friday ahead of Saturday’s Foo Fighters concert at Slane Castle.
Details of the massive garda operation being put in place to ensure the safety of all those attending the concert was outlined at a press conference in Slane Castle by Navan Garda Supt Michael Devine.
“Our operation will commence on Friday night at 7pm when we will increase our patrolling of the town and from about 9pm we will have checkpoints in place around the village,” confirmed Supt Devine.
“The full operation won’t start until Saturday morning from 7am. From then on, we will have checkpoints on all approach roads. From 10am, there will be no access to Slane village to anybody except residents and, even then, that will only be in exceptional circumstances.”
The traffic plan is similar to those in the past with one significant change. There will be a new parking area on the Navan road south of Slane on the N52 where a facility provided by Roadstone will be utilised.
He also urged concert-goers not to bring “significant amounts of alcohol” with them to the venue because they will not be allowed in with it and if they “have not used it, they will lose it”.
He also urged fans not to arrive in an intoxicated state and he reminded them that if they are deemed incapable of looking after themselves and others, then “they may have to spend some time with us, free of charge”.
Gates will open at 2pm with The Strypes set to take to the stage at 2.15pm and headline act Foo Fighters are expected to conclude their set at 11pm. Ash are expected on stage at 3.15pm, Hozier at 4.15pm and Kaiser Chiefs at 5.45pm.

Slane Castle owner Henry Mountcharles spoke of his relief to be alive for this concert, the 24th to be hosted at his ancestral home, after a battle with lung cancer that left him debilitated throughout 2014 and the early part of this year.

“This is a special gig for me, personally. I am more than happy to be here today because there was a time last year when I wasn’t sure if that was going to happen, so if I am a little more emotional than normal then, please forgive me,” he said as he hosted the press conference at Slane Castle.