Beautiful Night fiasco

What about the rest of the capital? pheonix park? croke park?(the special olympics show was incredible, so we know we can pull it off)

fucking rubbish is this

What about Smithfield?
The whole reason for the concert in the first place was as a subtle way to stop the May day demonstrations from happening anyway.

Most bizarre.
The BBC say they’re pulling out because they ‘only want O’ Connell Street’.
???

And RTE refused to comment last night.

The problem apparently was no one knew until Monday that the street would have to be closed for 9 days to prepare for it, and hence ‘traffic chaos’ would ensue – rather than the works themselves being the issue.

But sure only buses and taxis use O’ Cll St! (or are supposed to)
And even if there would be a problem – nobody thought of it beforehand???

Banana Republic or what.

why belfast? why on earth during our presidentancy would we go to a foreign country to celebrate this?
it’s a bloody disgrace. what sort of complete idiot would not think of this!!!!!

The concert the BBC are holding is part of a music festival they’ve been running anyway, so that’s still going ahead.

Despite the smart quips in the media about the state of O’ Cll St and its appropriateness, I think it would have been a great location, given the whole plaza and Abbey-Henry stretch would be fully completed.

Is this why the stretch from the quays to Abbey St was tarmaced over – in anticiaption of 15,000 people attending this event? Has all this expense and time been wasted?

college green?

anywhere at all. we should be celebrating this.

Oh my god – I can’t believe this. I raised this question on the O’Connell St thread once the concert was announced and if I could foresee the problem surly the organisers could?

If the Beeb don’t go ahead with it surely RTE who partnered the Beeb on this should continue with it else where in Ireland.

If its not one fiasco with this country its another and I just hope this isn’t another one.
😡

the bbc “aid”o connell would do why, as somebody said smithfield would do just aswell?

Why didn’t they think before announcing the event?

it’s official….. click here

…what a mess

Our lads have a lot to learn from Belfast City Council on how to run city centre events. Belfast is planning (rather has planned )for 25,000 people to attend in the vicinity of City Hall. Can’t blame the BBC for having no interest in a field in the Park or falling down Lansdowne Road as protraying our capital / EU capital – their doing us a favour !! But the whine will go on ..we could have broadcast to the world a great party from the banks of the Tolka or even the Camac only for the Brits !!

Originally posted by Papworth
Can’t blame the BBC for having no interest in a field in the Park or falling down Lansdowne Road as protraying our capital / EU capital – their doing us a favour

Smithfield as suggested by Phil & Chewy, would have been perfect, or was O’Connell St committee member Royston too worried about his local election re-election prospects?

One can validly argue either for or against closing O’Connell St for five days on the grounds of traffic disruption. But the fact that the Street will not be ready on May 1st is the real disgrace. I don’t know why I defended DCC on the O’Connell St thread, what was it you said again Graham?

so are they not having party or gathering at all

RTE is still deciding what do do, hopefully they won’t give us some internal studio rubbish (i’m thinking millennium night)

The City Council are still claiming that the plaza and middle section of O’Connell St. will be finished for May 1st.

Originally posted by Peter FitzPatrick
The City Council are still claiming that the plaza and middle section of O’Connell St. will be finished for May 1st.

Only Mick Lally can make pigs fly. The O’Connell St bothair is an utter disgrace. How many years is the Street in tatters now?

A good forward plan but Bolivian execution with Zurich tax rates funding it.,:rolleyes:

To be fair to the CC, the street is still on schedule – albeit 20 years late. I’ve no doubt that the central section will be finished by then.

And to defend the indefensable – RTE – they had absolutely no other option but to depend on a studio format for the millenium night as a result of that other farce – nothing but a little get-together in Merrion Square happening in the capital – so insignificant that the international broadcasting collective established for the day refused to accept it as Ireland’s contribution the inter-nation switching come midnight.

I’m beginning to think its got nothing to do with O’Connell St being incomplete, sure they knew this when the planned the event but to do with fear it might somehow be hijacked by may day protesters turning it into a riot of some sort. Security paranoia in other words.

Yeah – it’s much easier to say traffic and disruption fears have forced the event to be ruled out rather than we do not possess the security capability to contain the type of protests seen in other parts of the world during summits and G8 meetings.

It would seem that very strict measures were being taken to ensure that protests were eliminated. I think, as mentioned earlier, this declaration of May 1st as Eurpean Day (Not exactly sure what it is called) is a method of quashing the May Day demonstrations which we associate with this day.

The real reason as suspected: Beautiful Night concert axed by Cabinet over fears of riot

why belfast? why on earth during our presidentancy would we go to a foreign country to celebrate this?

FIN….don’t be so harsh…….and don’t worry we’ll have a great time in Belfast!

they can’t blame everything on the supposed riots how many people were supposed to go to that concert they’d probably be well more then any protestors

is there still supposed to be fireworks or anything in town…

what ya think of the elevations light show thing ?
(is light _the_ current medium?)

sorta but sorta limited what ya can do we the designs

http://www.dublinelevations.net (off hand i think)

starch,
while i’m all in for inculsion of our lost brethern the fact remains that belfast is in a foreign country to that which has the honour of being president for this great occasion. and i have no doubt u’ll have a great time. i love belfast. great place to visit. kinda like kilkennt but the women wear shorter skirts. 🙂

Chewy, in my mind its an underresourced police force that is to blame. Thats why the concert wasn’t moved to another location as they still wouldn’t be able to police it.

As well as the dublin elevations there is a firework display on Sandymount strand:

On April 30, Dublin’s skies are due to light up again, with a spectacular fireworks display along Sandymount Strand by award-winning French pyrotechnics company, Groupe F, famous for its Millennium illumination of the Eiffel Tower.

The fireworks extravaganza will start at 9.15pm and viewing will be on the Beach Road between Leahy’s Terrace and Marine Drive, Strand Road between Marine Drive and St Alban’s Park and Strand Road from St Alban’s Park towards Merrion Road.

The reason it was cancelled is for fear that it would become a target for terrorists. We live in uncertain times and major events such as this are an obvious target. Thats the only reaosn it was cancelled. Traffic disruption was never an issue.

So it goes to Belfast. Note: Belfast is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland is a seperate country???????.
So the Republic holds the Presidency but the British get the farewell party. Only in Ireland, the Republic I must state. The Republic of Ireland (I have to educate you here I think) is not alone made up of Dublin. It is a country that also has such places as Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and many, many towns far away from Dublin.
Of course they can’t hold it in another part of the Republic as the Irish republics philoposy is it has to be in Dublin, anything, or not at all.
And I guess the reply here would be well nowhere in the rest of Ireland could hold it, why is that I ask, because everything has been developed in Dublin, quite a discrace and very, very wrong.
Federal Government for Ireland, (Republic) NOW……

well said

“We live in uncertain times and major events are targets”

therefore we should cancell the olympics all big football matches my birthday party etcc ?

using terrorism as excuse to hide incompetance is the last straw

Well done Belfast and the BBC saw a highly organised and planned to the T street / river Irish party that altered between 2 venues – the stage at City Hall and the other on the Lagan. The stage at the Lagan looked great, like it was floating on the river. Great stages and a great night of music showing Belfast at its best.

However, well done to ourselves as well for hosting such a great ceremony at the Aras in the Phoenix Park welcoming the new member states. What a great advertisment for Ireland in Europe. Everything looked great….the Aras, our President, the ceremony and the weather itself. And there was such a pleasant infomal yet formal air about the occasion.

(Gas how biased Sky is regarding it’s anti Europe stance. It never showed any of the coverage live from the Phoenix Park yet when the bit of a riot broke out they were there right away with the camaras.)

Ah Sky – where would we be without them?
Did you see that Master of Ceremonies introducing the various people – a Father Ted caricature or what!

Didn’t the Aras look fantastic – all hail the steadicam!

Very proud watching it on BBC News, even if they built it in the first place!
The temporary porch attached to the pillars was very tasteful – not that it was needed in the end.

It’s the (limestone?) portico contrasting with the white that makes the building look so elegant – it was added by Francis Johnston (of GPO fame) in 1815 or 1816 I think. Fantastic proportions, and the dentil detail really sets it off.
And the white chimneys look so good too – even the chimney pots are painted, and it all ties in with the ceremonial white ‘colour scheme’ of the park, with the white railings, the white gas lamps, the magnificent white entrance gates etc.

Which is more than can be said for the State Drawing Room where all the Prime Ministers were greeted – always hated this room – so vulgar, drab and frumpy.