It's been three years since Thurles endured an invasion of young rock 'n' roll fans, but the Tipperary town was well able to handle the influx of punters for yesterday's Day Trip To Tipp. Thurles town centre was jammed with teenagers yesterday afternoon, but there was nothing like the scenes of mayhem which marked previous Feile festivals.
This year's Trip To Tipp crammed a line-up of top rock and dance artists into a single day, and fans flocked to see best-selling bands like The Prodigy, Manic Street Preachers, Foo Fighters, Kula Shaker, Reef and The Cardigans. The last Feile in Thurles was held in 1994; plans were made to bring Bon Jovi to Semple Stadium last year, but scheduling problems with the GAA forced the promoters to move the concert to Dublin. The day started in brilliant sunshine and stayed that way through to the evening sets. But the good times and the good weather couldn't last forever, and during the Manic Street Preachers set the rain came down in torrents, drenching the fans but not dampening their spirits.
Unlike the Feile of old, this was a one-day event, and camping was strictly forbidden, so it was a case of get 'em in, give 'em some entertainment, and get 'em out again.
Promoters MCD reckoned that a capacity crowd of around 35,000 people took up the offer and MCD's Denis Desmond said plans were already under way for a similar one-day event in Semple Stadium next year.
The promoters have already been in touch with an unnamed major artist, and Mr Desmond is happy with the response from local people and local authorities. However, he stressed that there were no plans to restore the Thurles festival to its original three-day duration, saying that planning permission issues remain unresolved. "We'll just take it one day at a time," he said.
The Independent TD for Tipperary North, Mr Michael Lowry, dropped by the backstage area during the afternoon and expressed satisfaction with the smooth running of the concert. By mid-afternoon, the area around Semple Stadium was awash with beer cans, soda bottles and fish-and-chip wrappers, and some young people were already a little the worse for wear. Most of the 35,000 fans, however, were in ebullient mood. Their view of the stage was enhanced by two giant screens, and 2FM carried live broadcasts by satellite throughout the day.
At the time of writing, local gardai reported little trouble from a largely well-behaved crowd, and townspeople went about their Sunday business as usual, impervious to the sudden appearance of young rock fans in their midst.
