....the more I look at London the more it looks like New York or Chicago to me. I've seen the Stones indoors in buildings like the O2 here in the States (MCI in DC, United Center in Chicago, Palace near Detroit) and honestly I prefer the festive outdoor events. Also London just seems too expensive and touristy like Chicago or NYC. This leads me to Slane Castle where a pair of tickets in the Gold section in front of the stage are cheaper than the O2 nosebleeds. It looks like an incredible site!

Could any of you enlighten a friendly Yank as to the Slane Castle scenario? How do you get there from Dublin? Can you get a Guiness at the show. Are the people who attend completely insane? How do you get around in Dublin?

It'll be the 20th Anniversary for me and the Missus and this is a very big deal for us.

Thank (again) in advance.

---R. (Irish last name)

Slane will be THE concert of the tour

Well firstly Dublin is very expensive. Accomadation, eating out, everything is definitely even more expensive than London. The city can be fun. It has a good pub scene. You can take walking tours, all very pleasant but you won't be wowed! Dublin has a regular bus, train and Luas (electric train) that allows tourtists to jump to different locations without much fuss.

Slane is young, very young, and of course totally insane. It is a tiny village of about 800-1000 people, that once a year has the 15-25 year old population of Ireland descend on it in a drunken haze. At 24 I have now had 9 such experiences. The gigs can be pretty good and the crowd pretty rowdy. You can get beer (Heineken is the only sponsor) inside the event, as well as fast food. Most kids fall of the buses with back packs full of beer/cider. It is located about 40 miles north of Dublin, however due to the shocking traffic Slane causes, this journey can take many, many hours. If possible stay in or near the village. You can get up the day of the show at your leisure and retire after it and relax without the bus journey back to Dublin. You might also enjoy the buzz in the village and countryside before the throngs hit town.

R Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ....the more I look at London the more it looks
> like New York or Chicago to me. I've seen the
> Stones indoors in buildings like the O2 here in
> the States (MCI in DC, United Center in Chicago,
> Palace near Detroit) and honestly I prefer the
> festive outdoor events. Also London just seems too
> expensive and touristy like Chicago or NYC. This
> leads me to Slane Castle where a pair of tickets
> in the Gold section in front of the stage are
> cheaper than the O2 nosebleeds. It looks like an
> incredible site!
>
> Could any of you enlighten a friendly Yank as to
> the Slane Castle scenario? How do you get there
> from Dublin? Can you get a Guiness at the show.
> Are the people who attend completely insane? How
> do you get around in Dublin?
>
> It'll be the 20th Anniversary for me and the
> Missus and this is a very big deal for us.
>
> Thank (again) in advance.
>
> ---R. (Irish last name)

Well, i'm irish, so i'm biased, but I saw u2 there and it's an amazing venue. you can look elsewhere for the photos, but it's just spectacular. Cliche though it may be, the venue is a natural amphitheatre and you can't get a bad view, although obviously you can be further from the stage than you'd like.

there will be booze available. There will be t-shirts and the like on sale. You will, if you care little for your intestines, be no small amount of fast food available; in short, it's like any other gig you were at. Just because it's in the middle of a field doesn't mean that they can't put the facilities in for the day. As regards getting to/from, well if you stay in Dublin, it's a safe bet that there'll be plenty of buses going from there to the venue; it makes far more sense to have 50 buses clogging up the roads than 750 cars...

Certainly your assessment of the prices is spot on - out of curiousity i had a look at the o2 prices today and coudln't believe how much they were stiffing our UK friends on price...mind you, this is as good a time to have the one caveat about Slane...

it might just rain...



(just had a read of what iamthedj says...and while he's not wrong, im' not sure that the populations of the country's youth clubs will pony up this kind of money for a gig where the gates only open at 3 in the afternoon...)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-03-28 19:05 by textmonkey.

iamthedj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well firstly Dublin is very expensive.
> Accomadation, eating out, everything is definitely
> even more expensive than London.

cant say I agree with that assessment at all, to be honest

ok the only relevant question is the one i'll ask now:

How much for a beer in dublin center ?

Price/Amount ?

Agree with Gazza, went and stayed in Dublin about 4 months ago - cheaper in every way in comparison to London.

One other noticeable feature is totally non-smoking in all pubs, cafes and restaurants - pure bliss if you are a non-smoker!

Tell me... Sister M... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ok the only relevant question is the one i'll ask
> now:
>
> How much for a beer in dublin center ?
>
> Price/Amount ?

For the best pint of Guinness in Dublin, bar none, you should go seek out a boozer called the Gravediggers which is a short cab ride out of the city centre. Of course, that's not the name over the door (it's John Kavanagh [www.ireland-guide.com] ) and in there, where you will be served Guinness that tastes as good as the Lord God Almighty himself dictated it should taste, you'll pay in or around €4.

You can then go to some sh*thole city centre pub and it'll taste of washing up liquid and cost you *anything* up to €6. Stick to the smaller pubs off the temple bar tourist trap/track and you'll do well

Tell me... Sister M... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ok the only relevant question is the one i'll ask
> now:
>
> How much for a beer in dublin center ?
>
> Price/Amount ?


about 5 euro a pint?

..and the beer in Dublin is better, too...

textmonkey Wrote:>
> You can then go to some sh*thole city centre pub
> and it'll taste of washing up liquid and cost you
> *anything* up to €6. Stick to the smaller pubs off
> the temple bar tourist trap/track and you'll do
> well

Interesting. The hotel I was considering as the Temple Bar.

ARE THERE BUSSES OR TRAINS FROM DUBLIN TO SLANE CASTLE?

R Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Interesting. The hotel I was considering as the
> Temple Bar.


good enough choice of location, although i've never stayed in the hotel
>
> ARE THERE BUSSES OR TRAINS FROM DUBLIN TO SLANE
> CASTLE?


Its a village, so no trains as the nearest station is Drogheda - about 10 km away

There'll be plenty of buses laid on to ferry fans to and from the show. Its actually about 20-25 miles north west of Dublin and not 40 miles as stated above.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> R Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>> >
> > ARE THERE BUSSES OR TRAINS FROM DUBLIN TO SLANE
> > CASTLE?
>
>
>
> There'll be plenty of buses laid on to ferry fans
> to and from the show. Its actually about 20-25
> miles north west of Dublin and not 40 miles as
> stated above.


And those buses will be accessible from the Temple Bar area?

R Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gazza Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > R Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> >> >
> > > ARE THERE BUSSES OR TRAINS FROM DUBLIN TO
> SLANE
> > > CASTLE?
> >
> >
> >
> > There'll be plenty of buses laid on to ferry
> fans
> > to and from the show. Its actually about 20-25
> > miles north west of Dublin and not 40 miles as
> > stated above.
>
>
> And those buses will be accessible from the Temple
> Bar area?

They'll be available from the City Centre -not specifically temple bar; Dublin's not *that* big...you might have to walk a bit to get to the bus departure point...but it won't kill you, a helpful local will show you the way...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-03-28 20:00 by textmonkey.

textmonkey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> R Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Gazza Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > R Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > >> >
> > > > ARE THERE BUSSES OR TRAINS FROM DUBLIN TO
> > SLANE
> > > > CASTLE?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > There'll be plenty of buses laid on to ferry
> > fans
> > > to and from the show. Its actually about
> 20-25
> > > miles north west of Dublin and not 40 miles
> as
> > > stated above.
> >
> >
> > And those buses will be accessible from the
> Temple
> > Bar area?
>
> They'll be available from the City Centre -not
> specifically temple bar; Dublin's not *that*
> big...you might have to walk a bit to get to the
> bus departure point...but it won't kill you, a
> helpful local will show you the way...


Thank you. Can you recommend a hotel at or near the city centre? How much does the bus cost? Do you buy a round trip ticket for it?

We stayed at Jury's Inn on Parnell St - Super hotel 4 star and cost about 50 GBP per night bed and breakfast. It depends what your budget is but the hotel is just around the corner from where all buses depart.


www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186605-d321255-Reviews-Jurys_Inn_Parnell_Street-Dublin_County_Dublin.html

I've been in Dublin two times during the last years, one time to see the Stones at the Point, one time to meet friends. Just go, and before or after the show, spend some time in Dublin, lovely city, full of lovely people. One of my best memories from the Licks Tour.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> R Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > > Interesting. The hotel I was considering as
> the
> > Temple Bar.
>
>
> good enough choice of location, although i've
> never stayed in the hotel
> >
> > ARE THERE BUSSES OR TRAINS FROM DUBLIN TO SLANE
> > CASTLE?
>
>
> Its a village, so no trains as the nearest station
> is Drogheda - about 10 km away
>
> There'll be plenty of buses laid on to ferry fans
> to and from the show. Its actually about 20-25
> miles north west of Dublin and not 40 miles as
> stated above.


Gazza, is there camping? Me and the wife will probably just bring a tent for Slane

tickets are saying "no camping"...it's one of the conditions of the license that the 60,000 punters get the hell out of the village after the gig...

you might want to try for a nice local B&B...

R Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Thank you. Can you recommend a hotel at or near
> the city centre? How much does the bus cost? Do
> you buy a round trip ticket for it?


without being too smartarsed, it'll really depend on the standard of accomodation you want; certainly www.jurysinns.com provides decent honest-to-god accomodation which might be a bit 'sans frills' for those who want a concierge to *actually* go and flag them down a cab, but would suffice for most others. I've stayed in them a few times, and you have all you want - decent restaurant, residents bar, comfy rooms of the smoking/nonsmoking type...

your best bet - and this ain't hard and fast advice, might be to consider a generic search site; the prices being charged will give you a fairly good idea as to the standard of service you can expect...I'm more than happy to stay in a Jurys, but I'm 33 and consider the acme of 'fancy eating' to be a rare steak, frenchfries and garlic butter!!!

as for your requests re the cost of the bus - i genuinely don't know. I would expect that Bus Eireann - the national bus company - will operate a shuttle service out of dublin city centre that day for a relatively nominal fee. Maybe you won't have the full details until a few days before you arrive, but i'll reiterate my point that the aim is to have as many buses etc going, rather than waves upon waves of cars clogging up the Farmers Fields in Slane which will become - for one day - Car Parks.

again - to reiterate - the centre of dublin is so small that so long as the postcode is dublin 1, 2, 4 or parts of 7/8, you're sorted.

mail me at monkey.text@gmail.com if you've other concerns...

Dublins nice; don't let the fear of finding a good hotel kill ya!

still FOS avaible, you think there will be on friday, when the public tickets go on sale ?

sure hope so

Is there enough standing room in Gold Circle A that I can wait til the official on-sale (3AM my time, Friday) rather than spend the extra $100 for the damned fan-club access?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-03-28 23:46 by R.

R Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is there enough standing room in Gold Circle A
> that I can wait til the official on-sale (3AM my
> time, Friday) rather than spend the extra $100 for
> the damned fan-club access?

if by that you mean, are there still tickets left in gold circle A, the answer would appear to be yes.

Will they still be there at 9:05 GMT tomorrow? Dunno.

That's a judgement call you have to make yourself - you can drop your $100 today and be sure to have a position in gold circle, or wait till the public sale and take your chances...I, sadly, didn't have the cojones to wait for the public sale...

textmonkey Wrote:
> if by that you mean, are there still tickets left
> in gold circle A, the answer would appear to be
> yes.
>
> Will they still be there at 9:05 GMT tomorrow?
> Dunno.

Ticket sales are at 8 am, not 9 am per ticketmaster.ie

textmonkey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> R Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Is there enough standing room in Gold Circle A
> > that I can wait til the official on-sale (3AM
> my
> > time, Friday) rather than spend the extra $100
> for
> > the damned fan-club access?
>
> if by that you mean, are there still tickets left
> in gold circle A, the answer would appear to be
> yes.
>
> Will they still be there at 9:05 GMT tomorrow?
> Dunno.
>
> That's a judgement call you have to make yourself
> - you can drop your $100 today and be sure to have
> a position in gold circle, or wait till the public
> sale and take your chances...I, sadly, didn't have
> the cojones to wait for the public sale...


LOL. I didn't have the cajones either. Perhaps we'll see you there. I'd be pleased to buy you a beer for your helpful advice. I just can't fathom that it's Heineken in Ireland for crying out loud. It's a small world I guess.

R Wrote:

>
> LOL. I didn't have the cajones either. Perhaps
> we'll see you there. I'd be pleased to buy you a
> beer for your helpful advice. I just can't fathom
> that it's Heineken in Ireland for crying out loud.
> It's a small world I guess.

might take you up on the beer if you find me; most likely i'll be wearing the european voodoo lounge t-shirt!!!

the reason for the heineken thing is that the promoter, MCD, fell out with Guinness a few years ago and now NO Guinness Products are sold at MCD gigs; it's not a venue policy, it's a promoter policy. So - back in the day, there used to be an MCD festival called (geddit) Witnness, and that became 'Oxegen'

Gold circle A it is then!!!

and to Gazza...aye - typo there re the tix on sale, but my point obv still stands that they might not be there at 9:05

Gazza,you may have missed my last post on this. Would be grateful if you know about camping at (or near) Slane. We are just going to bring a tent. Do you know if there will be camping available. Plus train links to the Airport? Any advice much appreciated

I dont live anywhere near Slane and I havent been at a show there since 1995, so I dont know. They used to allow overnight camping before the show and then in 1984 at the Dylan show there they had a massive riot and stopped it. As far as I'm aware they dont have camping anymore. Textmonkey says above that the tickets say "no camping" so I presume theres none allowed in the immediate vicinity.

Slane is a village, Theres no train station. The nearest large town would be Drogheda which is about 7-10 miles to the east, on the coast and which would have adequate train and bus links to Dublin and bus links to the airport, Dublin airport is (like Slane and Drogheda) north of Dublin so you dont have to go back into the city.

Gazza Wrote:

> Slane is a village, Theres no train station. The
> nearest large town would be Drogheda which is
> about 7-10 miles to the east, on the coast and
> which would have adequate train and bus links to
> Dublin and bus links to the airport, Dublin
> airport is (like Slane and Drogheda) north of
> Dublin so you dont have to go back into the city.

I think in fairness to our friends from outside the parish it should be explained that while the [tickets.rollingstones.com] page says that slane effectively part of Dublin, it's not; and the locals wouldn't thank you to say it was either. It's the difference between New York city and Upstate...except in the case of Slane, it's a different administrative district.

Dublin is the nearest city, and that's it...

Letitloose might do well to ring a few places around Slane...I dunno, start off with pubs for instance, and ask if they know of anybody with a field that they can camp in. If you get an agreement with a local farmer and throw a few quid his way, then happy days, you know...but you won't - methinks - find any official camping. As Gazza says, and it's a bit before me time, the attendees of Dylan in the early 80's went a wee bit mad after a consignment of cheap cider made it's way to the village and the locals swore never again; as they dictate - to an extent - the terms of the license granted, the local authority tends to accede to their request, and in fairness, i can see their point. A village of 800 people isn't going to be able to handle 20,000 (at a guess) deciding to stay overnight in local campsites!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-03-30 01:14 by textmonkey.

Been tough (it's been snowing last night and got electrical problems several times) but I'm in, Gold Circle B (when I explicitely asked for Gold Circle A).

Dublin

no tickets anymore !