Highly-anticipated Garth Brooks gigs see Dublin hotel prices skyrocket

As the long-awaited five nights of Garth Brooks at Croke Park draw close, there is real concern that concert-goers are struggling to find hotel rooms for less than astronomical prices.

Dublin hotel prices are currently at an all-time high in the absence of gigs. In the context, it's safe to say that Brooks' first visit to Ireland in 24 years – with a huge number of fans converging on Dublin – has caused hotel mania.

One woman from Cork was on Trip Advisor looking for a place to stay a full eight months before the date when the country star lands on Irish shores. The Brooks fan was quoted an astronomical €800 for a couple of nights in the capital city.

At the time, a user offered advise, saying: “Try find a hotel on the outskirts and then use public transport or taxi – the area around Dublin Airport would be the best due to the number of low cost rooms available for travellers.” Now, many hotels near Dublin Airport, like the Travelodge and the Holiday Inn, are fully booked with Ukrainian refugees. Almost nothing in life remains unaffected by Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine. The appalling depth of the suffering visited in the most appalling way on the people of Ukraine is a sobering reminder, for those who are concerned about the price of hotel rooms, that we have it good in so many ways in Ireland.

Although there are some slightly cheaper hotels on the outskirts of Dublin - such as the Travelodge Dublin Airport North in Swords providing a twin room for €318 - with the scarcity of taxis especially around Dublin at the moment, the chances of being left stranded in Swords or after the gig are extremely high.

Looking at hotels closer to the Croke Park location for September 9, 10, 11, 16 and 17 – Brooks' last-ever stadium concerts - it's unsurprising that prices begin to creep higher. The Croke Park Hotel has long since been booked out, with even local Airbnbs starting at €317 for one night.

The cheapest option to be found is a bunk in a female room with seven other people in Leevin Hostel, Mountjoy, for €84 a head.

The one-star Gate Hotel on Parnell Street is priced at €430 for two people for the night, without breakfast, with the 3-star Blooms Hotel charging €525 for two. If you're money-worry-free, there’s a one night slot of a basic 'Premier' room for two people with breakfast available at The Marker Hotel at €734.

With this much of a strain on Dublin concert-goers bank accounts, some fans have gotten creative with their hotel plans and booked accommodation in the North. Belfast currently has 10 rooms on AirBnB for under €50. If you got out of Croke Park for 10.30pm, took the 16 bus to Dublin Airport, then the X1 will take you to Belfast from £8.50 (€10) each way, arriving into Belfast for 1.20am.

Another option for southern-based attendees would be the Dublin coach, better known as the green bus, which runs from Burgh Quay to Limerick until 11.45pm, costing €12 online/€15 on the bus each way.

However, the real winners are the 600-800 fans who – months ago – booked in at Camac Valley Tourist Caravan & Camping Park in Clondalkin. The smart campers are paying €26 for a tent pitch or €42 for a serviced pitch, with buses ferrying to and from the stadium for around €10 a head.

Owners Vincent and Ellen Keogh confessed they never adjust pricing for big events. Speaking to the Irish Sunday Mirror, Vincent said: “We want our visitors to have a good time, not go home with a bad taste in their mouths. People booked in with us the minute he announced he was playing Dublin.”

With limited availability left for September 16 and 17, fans would be wise to book in with the Keoghs fast!

These five nights in Croke Park come seven years after the singer was forced to cancel his concerts in Dublin. In 2014, the musician had to cancel five nights in the same venue after a licensing dispute with local authorities.

Dublin City Council said at the time that it would only grant licences for three of the concerts. It was a controversial decision, which put the promoters Aiken Promotions, and the singer in an almost impossible situation. In the end Garth Brooks himself decided not to perform unless all five went ahead.

"What was meant to start this whole thing, is now going to be where this whole thing ends," the country artist said.

"If there is a blessing in what happened in that curse in 2014, it’s the fact that there is a chance that this artist and those people, who are sweet enough to get tickets, now have a chance to see each other again.

"It’s the greatest privilege and the greatest joy an artist can have to play Ireland. It’s the greatest heartache to hear you can’t. This has been a rollercoaster ride for me."

To get prepared for the much anticipated Irish takeover by the country crooner, check out this playlist of Garth Brooks' greatest hits below.