0:00:02 > 0:00:04This is what a super fan looks like...
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Getting a tattoo of Garth Brooks.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08If he signs my arm, it's going to come right up my arm.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10These are the Irish fans of Garth Brooks...
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Every day I see him perform it lightens me up, like.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15They'd do anything for the love of Garth.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18I just dropped everything. Was line dancing in the bedroom.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23After 17 long years, they were expecting his comeback concerts...
0:00:23 > 0:00:27It was unreal just to say I have my tickets.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28But it all went wrong...
0:00:28 > 0:00:29It hit me like a ton of bricks.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31..and now they're mad.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33That really mattered to me, coming to see him.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Just devastated that it didn't take place.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37I'm not happy.
0:00:37 > 0:00:38I can't take it on board.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41- They are the country folk... - Us oul' culchies!
0:00:41 > 0:00:42..the outsiders.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Should call you Kevin!
0:00:44 > 0:00:46The original friends in low places.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49No friends in high places round here, anyway.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52- And watch out...- We're in Dublin!
0:00:52 > 0:00:53..they're coming to town.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Yee-ha!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10For these Garth Brooks fans, this rainy day in July
0:01:10 > 0:01:13is about to become the best or worst of the year.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15They're waiting to hear their hero speak in an online
0:01:15 > 0:01:19press conference beamed all the way from Nashville, Tennessee.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Back in January, when the gigs were announced,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Garth ticket mania went wild.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30It was estimated that there was one ticket sold for every 15 people,
0:01:30 > 0:01:31across the island of Ireland.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34All over the country, fans were ecstatic.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37No, we camped out for two days.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39So happy that I had these tickets.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Even asked at a congregation, "How many of you are going to
0:01:42 > 0:01:46"the Garth Brooks concert?" And nearly half the people were going.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53The love of Garth inspired Irish fans like these
0:01:53 > 0:01:55to smash box office records.
0:01:55 > 0:02:01400,000 tickets sold, worth a whopping 26 million.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Now, look at these tickets carefully, folks.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06"Subject to licence."
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Blissfully unaware of what those words would mean,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14crowds queuing in country towns like Dungannon
0:02:14 > 0:02:16were just doing what Garth fans love -
0:02:16 > 0:02:19gathering together to share an experience.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22And no-one more excited than Roisin.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Yeah, that's her with the flag.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27We started queueing from Sunday.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Went back to work on Monday at two o'clock and just said,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33"Right, boys, book me off for the rest of the week. I'll be off.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35"I have an important job to do."
0:02:35 > 0:02:39She says, "What?" "I have to queue up for Garth Brooks tickets."
0:02:39 > 0:02:42And I had six tickets in my hand, and I just cried.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47And that feeling of sharing the excitement with other fans
0:02:47 > 0:02:49is just as important to Roisin's sister Siobhan.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53I was third in the queue,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57and third person in the whole of Ireland to queue for tickets.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02It was unreal just to say that I have my tickets for Garth Brooks.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06In Letterkenny,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10the Kirwan family are also preparing for the press conference.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13For many fans, the love of Garth is usually a family affair.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17And for Celine Kirwan, that's exactly how it is.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Young people come to Garth Brooks.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Middle-aged come to Garth Brooks.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Old people come to Garth Brooks.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Garth Brooks is an all-rounder.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28The whole family were born Garth nuts,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31although sanity is in short supply in their house.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35I'm the only person in the house that has any kind of sense.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37The rest of them are all lunatics.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42The time for the press conference is fast approaching.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Karen Kirwan only wants to know one thing.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Just fed up now waiting on Garth Brooks to announce some dates
0:03:49 > 0:03:53to be see if we're going to get to see a concert.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Though she's not convinced her da is going to set the Wi-Fi up in time.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Hear of a death going up the road, you'll know who died.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Murder in New Line Road, you'll know it was me dad.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Karen and her sister had a very different ticket story.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10A lucky call to a local radio station got unbelievable results.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- RADIO PRESENTER:- I know your agenda's very busy, Garth,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18perhaps before you go you can say hello to Karen and Edel.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20They camped out...
0:04:20 > 0:04:22They didn't manage to get tickets...
0:04:22 > 0:04:24- GARTH:- You said they did not get tickets?
0:04:24 > 0:04:26No, they didn't manage to get tickets.
0:04:26 > 0:04:27Oh, God have mercy. I was like a psycho.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29My poor child was freaking out
0:04:29 > 0:04:31because he didn't have a clue what was wrong with me.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33I was running up and down the kitchen, like.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36And then I had to sit down. I was like, "Did he just say my name?
0:04:36 > 0:04:38"Did he just address me on the radio, like?"
0:04:38 > 0:04:43Karen and Edel, I will personally pay for four tickets
0:04:43 > 0:04:44for each of you.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Make sure those girls pick a show of their choosing of those four nights.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53"Singer's gift is just the ticket for lucky fans."
0:04:53 > 0:04:55A simple namecheck from Garth Brooks
0:04:55 > 0:04:58was enough to turn Edel into a local celebrity.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00"They had friends in high places."
0:05:02 > 0:05:04"Just him saying my name was enough.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06I had my altogether then.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10And then disaster. The gigs are cancelled.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Remember, "Subject to Licence"?
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Well, the local residents complained.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19- The licence has been denied. - AMERICAN ACCENT:- Garth ain't comin'.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21It's the 10th of July, and Garth Brooks
0:05:21 > 0:05:24has called a press conference to explain his side of it.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28In Dungannon, fans are praying that their hero will save the day.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Come on, Garth!
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Get in there, son!
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Ireland should never be embarrassed.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Its people should never be embarrassed.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Most loving people on the planet.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42I tell anybody that listens to me,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45you want the greatest experience of your life?
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Go to Ireland. They will eat you alive.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52The Irish have my love for ever.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Garth Brooks in Nashville is sending love to Ireland.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59In Letterkenny, Da is still having trouble with the connection.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00AUDIO INTERFERENCE
0:06:02 > 0:06:05In Nashville, Garth is at full throttle.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08DISTORTED AUDIO
0:06:08 > 0:06:09In Letterkenny...
0:06:11 > 0:06:12AUDIO HUMS
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Anyone in Ireland...
0:06:18 > 0:06:20anyone on the planet is sad about this...
0:06:21 > 0:06:24..you're not one billionth as sad as I am.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Finally, they have made the connection,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29just as Garth is signing off.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32And if the Prime Minister himself wants to talk to me...
0:06:33 > 0:06:36..I will crawl, swim, I will fly over there this weekend.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38But the fine words of Garth
0:06:38 > 0:06:41have left the fans without definite answers.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Garth Brooks was willing to meet the Taoiseach over the concert.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46That's no good to us.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- We're sitting here, with tickets in our hands...- We are going.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- We're not going.- We are going. - We're not going.- We are going.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Give us an answer. We want an answer.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00That's all we want. Yes or no.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03For the fans, uncertainty is hell.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04Every day...
0:07:04 > 0:07:07He was only going to grant the three shows.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09He wanted all five nights or nothing.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10..it gets worse.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Fingers crossed that the concert's still on.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15We're hoping. We're hoping.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Until...
0:07:20 > 0:07:23None of the five planned sell-out gigs would be going ahead.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Garth Brooks wrote...
0:07:31 > 0:07:34All the fans have left are shocked reactions.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39It's like somebody has handed you your dream.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I was just in disbelief.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42They take it away.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Edel in Donegal is heartbroken.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Very sad.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Everybody getting together, just a bit of happiness in this country
0:07:52 > 0:07:55instead of all the time, everybody down in the mouth.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00For all of them, it's the memories of this 1997 gig,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03that's what they are trying to recapture.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06The last time Garth Brooks played in Ireland.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Back then, Edel would go to any length to see
0:08:09 > 0:08:12the great man in the flesh, including risking her health.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16The week he was coming, my appendix burst,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18so I remember
0:08:18 > 0:08:22I was trying to make them hurry up and make me better in the hospital.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24I came round a bit,
0:08:24 > 0:08:29but in the end I had to sign myself out to catch the bus to Dublin.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33And there I got to see him and he was brilliant.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Worth every ach and pain.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Siobhan was desperate to see Garth Brooks this time
0:08:38 > 0:08:43around at Croke Park because she missed this legendary 1997 gig,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46unlike her sister Roisin and brother Martin.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49My brother was a Garth Brooks fanatic.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Roisin was a Garth Brooks fanatic.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54And he went to the first concert, but he died.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Christmas '99.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59I want to relive his memories...
0:09:01 > 0:09:03..of Garth Brooks' concert.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06I want to see what he seen.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Because he came home and he talked about how great it was
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and him jumping into the crowd and the crowd passing him around.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15He actually laid down into the crowd
0:09:15 > 0:09:17and they passed him over their heads.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20And I just wanted to relive all that.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26These fans have been deprived of the biggest Garth
0:09:26 > 0:09:30get-together in two decades, and Roisin wants action.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32This all should have been ironed out away in January
0:09:32 > 0:09:34instead a fortnight before the gigs.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37It's not on, you know.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39We'll go to Dublin.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40We'll go to Dublin.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43It's Dublin - here we come.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Being into Garth Brooks is about being part of a community.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Some fans are still going to Dublin.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Their mission is to seek others like them
0:09:53 > 0:09:56to help overcome their sense of loss.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59And hopefully, achieve something positive from this mess.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04You sort of feel now there's going to be closure,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06that this is not going to happen.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08We are not going to see Garth this weekend.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11We're not going to see him on Tuesday night again.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15It is disappointing, but it will put closure to everything.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18He got us tickets for the Friday night.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Along for the ride are other Garth Brooks fans - the Quinns,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Sean and Kathleen, from Cookstown.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26'It's a big disappointment.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28'Big, big disappointment.'
0:10:28 > 0:10:32We were expecting to come here Friday for a big day,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36good night, and just devastated that it didn't take place.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40For Sean, this trip to Dublin
0:10:40 > 0:10:43is an opportunity to meet other Garth Brooks' fans.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46It will be no substitute for the real thing,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48but sure, we'll get a bit of a laugh, I'm sure.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Even Neil the driver has his own reason to go to Dublin.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55I quite enjoy Garth Brooks myself.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57I had my tickets and all for the concert too.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00I got myself a pair of boots and all for Garth Brooks.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07The Kirwans from Donegal have arrived well prepared.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09BOTTLES RATTLE Oh, I like the sound of that.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10CHEERING
0:11:12 > 0:11:15But for Edel, the excitement is bittersweet.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19A tune in the car has reminded her of the gift of tickets from Garth.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22'Unanswered Prayers came on in the car,'
0:11:22 > 0:11:25and everybody was singing back and he was singing to everybody.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27I had to nearly stop the car, couldn't see out,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I was crying my eyes out like a baby, coming up the road.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37Closure for these pilgrims comes with a traditional country remedy.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Something all Garth fans love to do -
0:11:39 > 0:11:42gather together with new friends and sing his songs.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Garth Brooks is a first-class singer.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50And all his songs, you can sing any of his songs.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Some artists, they might have one good hit and that's it,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Garth Brooks, you could sing 20 or 30 wee songs.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59# I blame it on my roots
0:11:59 > 0:12:02# I showed up in boots
0:12:02 > 0:12:05# And ruined your black tie affair
0:12:06 > 0:12:08# The last one to know
0:12:08 > 0:12:10# The last one to show
0:12:10 > 0:12:11# I was the last one
0:12:11 > 0:12:13# You thought you'd see there... #
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Another Kirwan, Gareth, has brought his guitar.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19He performs as a Garth Brooks tribute act in bars and clubs.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23But with a name like Gareth, some might say his options were limited.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28When I was 12, me sister bought tickets to go to Garth Brooks
0:12:28 > 0:12:31first time he came here to The Point.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33I was 12 years of age and among thousands
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and thousands of country music fans.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37And I just latched onto it from there.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39And after that I started singing Garth Brooks
0:12:39 > 0:12:42and somewhere along the line I actually became a country singer.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46# And the white line's getting longer
0:12:46 > 0:12:49# And the saddle's getting cold
0:12:49 > 0:12:53# I'm much too young to feel this damn old... #
0:12:53 > 0:12:55After a 17-year wait,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59the abrupt cancellation of the gigs has raised old suspicions
0:12:59 > 0:13:01that the city slickers don't really care enough
0:13:01 > 0:13:03about their country cousins.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06'We are the culchies.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08'If you're not from Dublin you're a culchie.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11'Just country folk, you know.'
0:13:11 > 0:13:12We're like the blow-ins to the city,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15the country folk, the farmers, whatever, you know.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16We party a bit different up here
0:13:16 > 0:13:19compared to Dublin, as I'm sure you've noticed.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24# Lord, I'm much too young to feel this damn old.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32Back in her garage in Dungannon,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Roisin definitely likes to keep her country.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Country people are people who would work around the clock,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Saturday, Sunday, whatever days it may take. But town people,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46eight to five and they're away home and their feet's up,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50glass of wine in the hand for the night. That's the difference.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52As long as I have a radio, I don't care.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55And Garth Brooks is playing in the background, it's no problem.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02Roisin rebuilds vintage tractors, so she's no stranger to hard work.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06I stripped her down, sanded her, plastered her,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and started to build her again.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10We put these tyres on ourselves and blew them up.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14And before anyone says, "Girls don't play with tractors."
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Roisin gets inspiration to do her own thing from Garth's music,
0:14:18 > 0:14:19and one song in particular.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22It would have to be Your Song cos he's actually
0:14:22 > 0:14:24talking about a man singing to him on stage.
0:14:24 > 0:14:25"Be who you want to be.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29"And I inspired you by singing the music to you, like."
0:14:29 > 0:14:31So, he's doing the same to me.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33He's inspiring me to do my thing.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35THEY SING
0:14:38 > 0:14:42If Dublin is going to offer a real country experience this weekend,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46they'd better do it right because for Edel, country music is personal.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52My life's a country western song,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54and it would make a hell damn good one, I tell you.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Anything that could happen, I've been through it all.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Things you wouldn't even think could happen, I've been through
0:15:00 > 0:15:03all them too, but I've always come out a stronger person.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Two husbands, six kids, and one...
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- AMERICAN ACCENT:- D-I-V-O-R-C-E...
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- NORMAL VOICE:- ..for Edel, life sounds like lyrics
0:15:11 > 0:15:13from a Tammy Wynette song.
0:15:13 > 0:15:19Well, I married my first boyfriend. Didn't work out after about 14 years.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22So I had five kids with him.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26I met Paul, and I married him too.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28So, we've got a wee boy, Cillian.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30I don't know how it happened, it just did.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Married the first one, married the second one.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33SHE LAUGHS
0:15:35 > 0:15:38SINGING
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Yee-ha!
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Yay, we're in Dublin!
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Sadly, it isn't Baton Rouge - this is Croke Park, where Garth Brooks
0:15:56 > 0:16:00was going to play until, of course, the residents put a stop to it.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Our fans have a little message for them.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Hi, residents. We're here.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15'To me, I feel at the end of the day, Dublin and the residents,'
0:16:15 > 0:16:17they didn't want him here.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19So to me, they're to blame.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24You know, here I am driving past Croke Park and thinking,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26"The day that should have been in it.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28"Shame on Ireland." I just think.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30We should have been going into Croke Park
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- instead of driving past it.- I know.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Dressed in the very gladrags they would have worn to the gig,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43the fans have come here to find some sort of closure,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46and Croke Park is well and truly closed.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50This here is just hard. It's heartbreaking.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- This is horrible.- It's eerie...
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- There's an awful eerie feel here, isn't there?- It's just rotten.
0:16:57 > 0:16:58Very eerie feeling.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02It's horrible, isn't it?
0:17:02 > 0:17:04It is, but there's an awful atmosphere here.
0:17:04 > 0:17:05I don't like it.
0:17:08 > 0:17:09The whole reason they came to Dublin
0:17:09 > 0:17:13was to meet up with other Garth fans to share the disappointment.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18But the only thing they've found here are very, very empty streets.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21But look at this road. How many residents would we be closing in?
0:17:21 > 0:17:24- Look - one car.- I'm telling you, they're all away on holidays.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26- They have to be. - One car on the street.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31I don't know.
0:17:31 > 0:17:32Oh, that hurt.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Up until now, Roisin and Edel
0:17:36 > 0:17:41believed Garth would indeed appear in Dublin like a resurrection.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42I believe he's going to come.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46I have a permanent black marker in my back and all for him to sign.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Garth, if you're here, come out. I want to see you.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54I just want to jump up and hug you, give you a big kiss.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57I still maintain he's going to turn up.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59But we're all thinking the same... We're all deluded.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- We're all in the same boat. - Didn't I say it to you or Siobhan?
0:18:02 > 0:18:03- Mm-hmm.- You're as deluded as me
0:18:03 > 0:18:06thinking he's just going to pop his head around the corner.
0:18:06 > 0:18:07- Know what I mean? - CAR HORN BEEPS
0:18:07 > 0:18:09The Cowboy hats, worn to show their love of Garth,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13only give the locals an opportunity to poke fun.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- It's cancelled.- Is it?- Och, it is not.- You're joking.- It's not on.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18- I wonder why.- It's cancelled.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20No, he's playing up in Quinn's tonight, so he is.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Oh, he's up in Quinn's tonight?
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Up in Quinn's, all right?
0:18:25 > 0:18:26That'll do, dude. See you later.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I don't like them being smart like your man saying,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34"Oh, do yous want to hear him on the radio?" Like, that's not nice, like.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Quinn's Bar, the nearest watering hole to Croke Park,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42clearly hasn't taken the side of the residents.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Well, we're just going to have to try and lift the mood
0:18:44 > 0:18:46and have a good night.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48I don't know how we get the mood lifted.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51I don't know. I suppose when we get here now it'll be cancelled too.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53HE SINGS
0:18:55 > 0:18:59This local bar is welcoming Garth Brook fans with open arms,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02especially those who want to spend some money.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06And they've laid on a tribute act.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10For the last two weeks, tribute acts have been raking it in
0:19:10 > 0:19:14across the country, playing to fans who crave a bit of Garth
0:19:14 > 0:19:16now the real thing isn't coming.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Lovely. CHEERING
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Where'd you get that T-shirt?
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Some people can see an opportunity in any situation.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26Even at their lowest ebb,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30this lady has turned up to sell the fans some T-shirts,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33making a joke out of the gig that never was.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34Give me a large.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40There's no buzz, there's no atmosphere.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43The only person we've talked to in there is trying to sell us T-shirts.
0:19:43 > 0:19:44SHE LAUGHS
0:19:44 > 0:19:47That's no way to welcome visitors into your city.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Yeah, I felt intimidated and unwanted and unwelcome.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53We're pumping money into the Dublin community, you know,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55why should they treat us like that there, like, you know?
0:20:01 > 0:20:04They've bought the T-shirts, and a couple of drinks,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08but nothing is going to soften the blow of an empty Croke Park.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12We had to camp out for five days in the cold and the rain.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14To stand here and not have Garth Brooks playing...
0:20:14 > 0:20:16We went to the gates of Croke Park there,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20and it just took the life out of the whole thing, like.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22The party just died a death.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24To go in and listen to a man impersonate him...
0:20:24 > 0:20:28We should have that time, this is our time. This was what we want.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34It's down to Gareth from Donegal to lift the mood.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36It's all up to him now.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39After all, he's singing for free.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42# We call them cool
0:20:42 > 0:20:46# Those hearts that have no scars to show
0:20:46 > 0:20:50# The ones that never do let go
0:20:50 > 0:20:54# And risk the tables being turned... #
0:20:54 > 0:20:55Yee-ha!
0:20:57 > 0:20:59# We call them fools
0:20:59 > 0:21:03# Who have to dance within the flame
0:21:03 > 0:21:07# Who chance the sorrow and the shame
0:21:07 > 0:21:11# That always comes with getting burned... #
0:21:14 > 0:21:16MUSIC: "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Garth Brooks
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Despite the hangovers, tomorrow has indeed come.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Well, I mean, it's today.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29Oh, you know what I mean.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Anyway, wearing cowboy hats and T-shirts
0:21:31 > 0:21:33to show their love of Garth,
0:21:33 > 0:21:37the fans venture into the city for a country music festival.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39No, it's not some cynical attempt by Dubliners
0:21:39 > 0:21:42to get them to spend money, of course not(!)
0:21:42 > 0:21:44This is the OK Corral Busking trail.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49All I know is, Dublin has put on a show,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51a hoedown show and a busking trail,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54so we're heading up here to see how the thing's going.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58But it seems Garth Brooks is a bit of a standing joke.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04- Any Garth Brooks, boys?- Garth Brooks, we don't do any Garth Brooks.- What?!
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Dublin City Council won't let us play Garth Brooks anymore.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08He's been banned, he's off all playlists.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Do you know any Garth Brooks?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- I don't know if I'm allowed to sing any Garth Brooks.- Oh, right.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15- Am I?- I think so, yes. Why not?
0:22:15 > 0:22:18- Sing one.- I could get a tomato thrown at me.- Not a bit, not a bit.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22- We're in town for Garth.- Yous came anyway.- We came anyway.- You found me.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- We found you.- God help yous. - Oh, you're OK.
0:22:25 > 0:22:26All right.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28# Sometimes late at night
0:22:31 > 0:22:32# I lie awake...
0:22:32 > 0:22:35ALL: # And watch her sleeping
0:22:37 > 0:22:40# She's lost in peaceful dreams
0:22:40 > 0:22:42# So I turn out the lights
0:22:42 > 0:22:44# And lay there in the dark... #
0:22:47 > 0:22:49'Garth Brooks has made that country music,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53'not as a jazzy country music but as a country music that's not boring
0:22:53 > 0:22:55'to listen to, and it's not full of'
0:22:55 > 0:22:57old diddly-diddly stuff, like.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59That kind of... It is good country music.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02'If you sit down and listen to any of his songs
0:23:02 > 0:23:04'saying he's our inspiration.'
0:23:05 > 0:23:08# Tell that someone that you love
0:23:08 > 0:23:11# Just what you're thinking of
0:23:11 > 0:23:14# If tomorrow never comes. #
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- That was lovely.- Very good.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20- Thank you.- You're welcome.
0:23:20 > 0:23:21Good girl. Thank you.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26It's Saturday night back at the hotel
0:23:26 > 0:23:28and these country girls are going to give Dublin city
0:23:28 > 0:23:29one last chance.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Are yous ready? Let's rock this party.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Only this morning, Garth Brooks announced the first dates
0:23:36 > 0:23:39of his world tour - ten nights in Chicago.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42But these have only one night in Dublin to look forward to.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46- Once tomorrow comes... - It might never come.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50If tomorrow never comes, well, once tomorrow comes, it'll be final then.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52It's over. It's done.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55No, it's not, cos we have to get to the world tour.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Aye, but sure what's the chances of that?
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Ah, there's every chance. What was the chances
0:23:59 > 0:24:01of him buying me my tickets?
0:24:01 > 0:24:05- What was the chances of that?- Yeah. - One in like a zillion.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06I would love to be able to do that.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11- Just walk up to him and just thank him, like.- Oh, aye.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Do you think you'll ever meet him, Roisin?
0:24:13 > 0:24:15I'd say if I met him I'd just buckle at the two knees
0:24:15 > 0:24:17and just go back down.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- Do you think you would? - Oh, surely. I'm soft like butter.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Before the gigs were cancelled, it was predicted that Dublin
0:24:28 > 0:24:30would have been a sea of cowboy hats.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Nearly half a million Garth Brooks fans
0:24:32 > 0:24:36would have brought an estimated 50 million euro,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39though for Karen a good time costs nothing.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Yee-ha!
0:24:43 > 0:24:44But hold on a minute.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Someone has spotted Garth at an upstairs window.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Could it be friends in high places?
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Nah, it's only a T-shirt.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53LAUGHTER
0:24:55 > 0:24:59At last, a real Garth crowd. You know how I know that?
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Cowboy hats.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04And the opportunity to overcome the absence of the man himself
0:25:04 > 0:25:06by sharing their experiences.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09We've been waiting 14 years, because we missed him the first time,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13then we had children. We'd go and see him wherever he played.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Then he stopped touring for a long, long time.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17It's not just the tickets for the concert,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20we've paid for a night for the hotel, two nights,
0:25:20 > 0:25:21flights, and all that.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25It's now time for us to make our own entertainment, you know?
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Sharing Garth with 80,000 others every night
0:25:29 > 0:25:32is what these fans wanted from the gigs.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35But here, meeting other fans is everything Siobhan needs.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Well, I'm meeting new people now and seeing how they're reacting,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42their feelings towards it.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44They're from a different part of the country to us.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47I'm just trying to join in the party atmosphere. I'm trying to...
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Because of the whole build-up of everything,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51it'll be a gentle let down for me.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54ALL: # The last one to know
0:25:54 > 0:25:56# The last one to show... #
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Finally, the girls have realised the only way to get Garth Brooks
0:25:59 > 0:26:02on the streets of Dublin is to sing it themselves.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04# The fear in his eyes
0:26:04 > 0:26:07# I took his glass of champagne... #
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Maybe our embattled travellers have found a little bit
0:26:13 > 0:26:15of what they really wanted all along -
0:26:15 > 0:26:18not Garth Brooks but a chance to get together
0:26:18 > 0:26:21with a load of like-minded individuals
0:26:21 > 0:26:22and have a right good shindig.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33At the end of the day, you can take these honky-tonkers
0:26:33 > 0:26:34out of the country,
0:26:34 > 0:26:38but you just cant take the country out of these honky-tonkers.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39Yee-ha!
0:26:42 > 0:26:45We came up a wee small entry into a square.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I have to say, it was a bit of country, hillbilly,
0:26:48 > 0:26:49bluegrass, the whole lot.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53A bit of dancing, a bit of jiving. It was very, very good.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57APPLAUSE
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Thank you, that was Low Down.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08So the only Garth Brooks to turn up this weekend
0:27:08 > 0:27:10was what they brought to the city.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14And, no, not just this cardboard cut-out.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16But you can bet your bottom dollar
0:27:16 > 0:27:19this lot will never lose their love of Garth, and that one day,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23one day, they will see him play live again.
0:27:23 > 0:27:24I still like Garth Brooks.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27If he was back in Dublin, probably next month,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29we'd probably go and look tickets again.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Sitting out again, deckchairs in February.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Yee-ha!
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Already, Garth Brooks has added 20 more dates to his world tour
0:27:37 > 0:27:42with an estimated value of nearly 40 million in ticket sales alone.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Immediate thoughts in the head were,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46"Right, I'm going to have to find him on the world tour.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48"Somewhere." That's just...
0:27:48 > 0:27:52I'm going to get my Irish flag and I'm going to have it that high
0:27:52 > 0:27:56at his gig that he will spot me in the crowd, that right, Garth?
0:27:56 > 0:27:57SHE LAUGHS
0:27:58 > 0:28:00But the last word is from Roisin.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02If she can't be with her hero,
0:28:02 > 0:28:07then Garth is going to be immortalised on her body for ever.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10On the fifth of December, I've booked in and all to get a tattoo,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13a portrait on my back of Garth Brooks.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16I've a picture and all sent in with an American flag
0:28:16 > 0:28:20and his date of birth on one side.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21They're going to copy his autograph
0:28:21 > 0:28:24and do it right in the middle underneath it,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and leave a wee blank for if he ever dies, like,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29it'll go in on the other side.