Pistols fire final shot as 'Picnic' ends

All THE ELECTRIC Picnic ended in glorious sunshine with temperatures of 22 degrees capping one of the summer's few dry weekends.

The festival concluded in the early hours of this morning with a first Irish performance by The Sex Pistols and the burning of the "Temple of Truth", the plywood structure dedicated to suicide victims, which attracted messages from hundreds of festival-goers.

"Never mind the recession, here's the Sex pistols" read the banner as the band did their bit to life their spirits.

Lead singer Johnny Lydon roared :"Good evening Ireland, it's time you let us in" adding: "What a fine nation this is too" before showing his bare back side to the corwd.

The Electric Picnic was an all-night affair for some in the VIP campsite with a late-night bar throughout the festival.

At least 600 children attended the event, and the family camping area, which was a first for an Irish festival.

The festival featured many upmarket food stalls. Bridgestone awards were doled out to the Mad Hatters Tea Party (best dressed food); Vegetarian Food stand (healthy foods); the Goodness Gracious Tiny Tea Tent (green award); and the Gourmet Offensive (local produce).

The recycling campaign was hailed a success, with fans given bags given on arrival to keep the campsites clean. Organisers have set a target of recycling 25 per cent of the rubbish generated.

Climate change was the theme of this year's event, but Global Green co-ordinator Davie Phillips said they had pitched their message to ensure that it did not infringe on fans' enjoyment of the festival.

"We programmed it [so] that it was quite funky and palatable for a music-listening audience. It is still a challenge to get people who were here for a good time, to listen to our message," he said.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties gathered 3,500 signatures for its campaign to protect the right of privacy. The petition, which will delivered to the Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern, calls for a proper lawful basis for the use of secret surveillance and more powers for the Data Protection Commissioner.

The Garda reported no major incidents among festival-goers, but two were taken to hospital following a carbon monoxide leak from a faulty generator on board a converted double-decker bus in the boutique campsite. The bus had been sleeping 12 people.

One person was taken to the intensive care unit in Portlaoise General Hospital and remained under observation.