Residents in the shadow of Lansdowne Road had mixed opinions on yesterday's court decision giving the go-ahead for U2's concerts while music fans in Dublin record shops welcomed it. Ms Mary Walsh (66) and her daughter, Dorothy, from Havelock Square, which is close to the grounds, said the Supreme Court "shouldn't be allowed to do it. At the last concert there by Michael Jackson two years ago, old people were crying. The plates on the walls were rattling and you couldn't open your windows".
Another Havelock Square resident, whose house backs on to the grounds, said her family would have to leave their home during the two U2 concerts to escape the noise, the floodlights and the traffic disruptions.
Several residents in Vavasour Square, a few hundred yards from Lansdowne Road, said they had no objections to the concert. One woman said many residents enjoyed sitting in their gardens listening to the concerts. "The residents doing the objecting should be seen and not heard," said another.
Mr Andrew Byrne (38), an electrician from O'Connell Gardens, whose house faces an entrance to the stadium's east stand, said he was worried about the behaviour of departing fans.
"It's just that this is going to attract a younger crowd, and as regards drugs and drink, you don't know what the outcome is going to be . . . I kinda like U2. I've nothing against them personally. It's just afterwards when all the fans are going home."
Ms Anne Keating, secretary of Bath Avenue and District Residents' Association Ltd, said none of its 500 member families had told its committee they objected to the concert.
Ms Keating, who also lives in O'Connell Gardens, said the three individuals who took the court action against the concert did not represent "the feelings of residents in the general area".
"Some older residents may not want it. They may not like the noise but there was no major objection from them either. Their attitude was that U2 were Dublin boys and they had a right to play here when other foreigners were allowed to play in it recently," she said.
Mr Peter Quinlan from Lansdowne Road said pop concerts were "totally unsuitable" for a confined residential area. "I'm deeply upset because I can't use my house for several days because of this thing," he said.
Mr Quinlan stressed that he objected to the choice of venue, not the event. "Let U2 play in Dublin but not on top of private houses," he said.
At the Virgin Megastore on Aston Quay, Mr John Mooney (21), an electrician from Leixlip, Co Kildare, gave a thumbs-up gesture to the Supreme Court ruling. "It's a good idea," he said. "If they are allowed to have soccer matches and that, they should be allowed to have concerts. It's only for two nights."
A 16-year-old student from Dundrum who was shopping with a friend in Tower Records on Wicklow Street said residents who objected strongly to the concerts could be put up for two nights in a hotel. "I'm sure U2 could afford it," he said.
Mr Francis Murray, a 22-yearold actor from Harold's Cross who was browsing in HMV on Grafton Street, said he was "definitely happy" about the decision. "I'm not a U2 fan by any means but, especially being an Irish band, they should have their pick of places to play," he said.