MCD talk Oxegen's cancellation

Sat alongside the likes of Louis Walsh and promoter John Giddings, Caroline Downey-Desmond spoke frankly on a Music Show live music panel today about the reasons why Oxegen is not going ahead this year.

"We have huge issues with costs that they don't have in the UK," she began.

"For example, the reason Oxegen isn't going ahead this year is solely to do with costs," she admitted. "It's to do with the council, it's to do with the Garda costs. It's outrageous, we can not do it any more. We'd have to up your ticket prices, kids wouldn't be able to afford it.

"We try to give value for money, and it costs a huge amount in infrastructure. We do more than they ever have to do in Europe and it's still not enough. They insist on a huge amount of guards that do nothing actually when they're down there, because the security do the bulk of it. They don't seem to have that problem for Electric Picnic, the guards seem to work much better with them."

She also stated that the loss of Oxegen in 2012 would cost Kildare "millions".