Concert promoters MCD are to refund 2,500 concertgoers who complained about facilities at the recent Barbra Streisand concert in Co Kildare.
Streisand played a concert in front of around 17,000 people in Castletown House in Celbridge on July 14th. It was one of the most expensive shows staged in Ireland, with ticket prices costing up to €550, and a programme costing €35.
However, concertgoers complained the event was marred by traffic problems travelling to and at the venue, a lack of stewarding, their inability to locate their seats and mucky conditions underfoot, especially in the carpark.
A report by the Consumers' Association of Ireland finished last month that a lack of organisation was the major factor behind the problems.
At the time, MCD blamed the problems on bad weather, roadworks on the M50/N4 and the action of some people in taking seats that were not allocated to them and refusing to give them up.
In a statement today, MCD said it had received the report of a committee set up to investigate complaints. It said it received 1,144 letters representing around 2,500 people following the event.
It said around 200 complainants who had to stand or chose to stand because their seats were taken will be fully refunded the ticket price.
A further 560 complainants who paid for more expensive seats than the ones they were seated in will be refunded the difference, while nearly 400 complainants who have parking or other problems will be given vouchers.
"Again I would like to apologise to those concertgoers whose experience at the Barbra Streisand concert . . . was spoiled and not what they should have expected," said MCD managing director Denis Desmond.