Slane Castle

Slane Castle is not a stadium but a field by a river — and one of the most famous concert sites in Europe all the same. The grounds fall away in a wide sweep towards the River Boyne, forming a natural amphitheatre. Stand up by the castle and the crowd reads as one unbroken surface running down to the water.

Four decades of concert history

The first concert took place on 16 August 1981, headlined by Thin Lizzy. Further down the bill was a then largely unknown Dublin band called U2. The idea came from Henry Mount Charles of the Conyngham family, who have owned the estate since the eighteenth century.

What followed reads like a roll call of rock history: the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, David Bowie, R.E.M., Guns N' Roses, Robbie Williams, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem, Metallica. U2 returned several times and recorded parts of "The Unforgettable Fire" inside the castle itself — a few years before the building was badly damaged by fire in 1991 and then rebuilt over more than a decade.

Depending on the stage configuration the site holds between 70,000 and over 80,000 people. Traditionally the concert falls on a summer Saturday and runs from daytime into the evening.

oasis and Slane

For oasis this is not new ground. They appeared as support in 1995 and headlined in 2009 — on the tour that ended that same year with the brothers' split. Knowing that history explains why a show here means more to the band than another festival date.

Location and getting there

Slane sits in County Meath, roughly 45 kilometres north-west of Dublin, between Navan and Drogheda. There is no railway station of its own; on concert days shuttle buses run from Dublin and from surrounding stations, and those are by far the sensible option. Driving in on a sold-out day mainly requires patience.

Most visitors stay in Dublin — good connections, plenty of hotels, and a city that easily carries two extra days of travel. For something quieter, Drogheda or Navan work, but book early: the supply there is limited.

What to allow for on site

An open-field concert is a different proposition from a seat in a stadium. Expect long walks from the shuttle to the arena, Irish weather in all its variants within a single day, and a sloping grass field underfoot. Sturdy footwear is basic equipment here rather than excessive caution. In return you get a setting no stadium on earth could reproduce: an eighteenth-century castle behind the stage and the Boyne as a natural boundary.