Security tight as 80,000 expected at Slane

The village of Slane in Co Meath will be packed to capacity for the second Saturday in succession today, for a concert by U2.

The village of Slane in Co Meath will be packed to capacity for the second Saturday in succession today, for a concert by U2.

The band universally recognised as the world's top rock act are performing again before 80,000 devoted fans in the grounds of Slane Castle - after securing special planning approval for the repeat.

And for the second weekend in a row a huge security operation was being lined up for the gig, with every road to Slane blocked to all but ticketholders and residents.

This time, though, Gardaí have a second big crowd occasion to monitor - the Ireland-Holland World Cup soccer international at Lansdowne Road this afternoon.

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People keenly interested in both rockers and soccer have had their dilemma solved for them when Slane Castle owner Lord Henry Mount Charles confirmed that there would be big-screen live TV coverage of the second half of the match crucial to Ireland's hopes at the concert.

A fleet of buses is set to transport rock enthusiasts the 35 miles from Dublin to Slane in a near day-long operation beginning soon after breakfast.

The concert gets getting under way with support acts this afternoon and culminates in a two and a quarter hour-long appearance by U2 themselves tonight.

The first gig passed off peacefully, with only a handful of arrests for minor offences and a number of seizures of drugs.

Once more there gardaí plan to patrol the River Boyne that flows through the Slane Castle estate which could prove treacherous for any rock fans tempted to take a swim.