Heartbreaking lose: The U2 announced a devastating news of Thin Lizzy children

On August 16, 1981, music history was made – with the first ever rock concert at Slane Castle. Attended by 18,000 music fans from across the country, the gig was headlined by Thin Lizzy, with support from U2, Hazel O’Connor and more.

“I remember the feeling, when the gig was announced, that something special might just be happening in Slane,” reflects Hot Press editor Niall Stokes. “It was an amazing venue, with a natural amphitheatre-like feel. The fact that it was on the Slane river, with Slane Castle itself looming above it all, added enormously to the atmosphere.

“From an Irish perspective, Thin Lizzy were a huge band, and Philip Lynott – in so many ways – was the ultimate rock star,” he continues. “So the prospect of seeing them with Slane Castle as a backdrop was a really tantalising one.

“We knew at the time that the winds of change that had blown in rock ’n‘ roll over the past five years had affected Lizzy.

“There was an extent to which the band had been diverted from their course – first by the arrival of punk, but also by the emergence of what was termed the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

“While Lizzy were spared a lot of the hostility and unpleasantness which was dumped on most hard rock bands at the time, and Philo had successfully befriended the guys from the Sex Pistols, the Boomtowm Rats and other leading punk and new wave lights, he felt a need to compete. In the heel of the hunt, he decided that Thin Lizzy should go for more of a hard rock feel.

“At least partially as a result, Chinatown, which they released in October 1980, wasn’t one of Thin Lizzy’s great records. But the shift in a heavier direction was reflected in the first Slane bill, with outfits like Mama’s Boys, Sweet Savage and Rose Tattoo all lining up.

“Mama’s Boys were the scheduled opening act – though whether they actually played is a different subject! Northern Irish outfit Sweet Savage did the business. But the Irish highlight pre-Lizzy was undoubtedly provided by U2. The gig caught the rising Irish superstars-to-be in a curious moment. Their debut album Boy had more or less run its course, and they were in the middle of recording the follow-up, October. In the event they played three tracks – ‘Gloria’, ‘Rejoice’ and ‘October’ – from the upcoming album, which was finished and released in October 1982. They also used uileann pipes for the first time, being joined onstage by Vinnie Kilduff of In Tua Nua, who also featured on October.

“Doing a big Irish festival wasn’t a complete novelty for the band: they had played support to The Police in a major festival-style gig in Leixlip just over a year previously, in July 1980. As it turned out, Slane was a good day for the band rather than a great one. It was very ambitious to introduce the uileann pipes in a huge open-air setting, where the sound tends to drift off into the ether. That took U2 outside their comfort zone and with less than the full crowd having arrived, they really had to work at it. But they came through it unscathed, winning enough new fans to make it all worthwhile.

“I remember Hazel O’Connor getting well into the festival spirit. And The Bureau – an offshoot of the original Dexy’s Midnight Runners after the band split up – conjured up some punchy soul sounds. But there was no doubting that Thin Lizzy were the real, proper star turn.

“The crowd wasn’t huge – I suspect that the gig lost money for MCD, who were the promoters. But that didn’t deter Philo from making a big entrance. He arrived by helicopter, which was a very effective way of avoiding being delayed in the traffic. The impact was like a God from the planet rock landing among us mere mortals.

“As anyone who ever listened to their legendary double album Live and Dangerous will know, Thin Lizzy were a really brilliant live band. This might not have been their greatest ever set, but they still had a bunch of real humdingers to fan the flame – including ‘Waiting for an Alibi’, ‘Jailbreak’, ‘Don’t Believe a Word’ and ’The Boys Are Back in Town’. As night started to fall, it really was a magical place to be, with a bona fide Irish rock legend leading the line in brilliant style.

“That gig paved the way for the arrival of The Rolling Stones in 1982 – and the Slane Festival was well and truly on the global rock map. With Bob Dylan appearing there in 1984, and Bruce Springsteen in 1985, it became established as one of the most iconic venues in the world. There have been a huge number of marvellous gigs since, with many of the biggest names in rock history taking to the stage. For the man in charge of Slane Castle, Lord Henry Mountcharles, this was the ambition from the start, but that first gig was a truly seminal moment.

“There were some twists and turns along the way, but if that initial foray hadn’t been undertaken successfully in 1981, then nothing that followed might have happened – or certainly not in the same way.

“Slane Castle itself became an Irish rock legend. The pandemic has, of course, taken its toll in making it impossible to run shows in Slane last year and again in 2021 – but here’s hoping that it will return in 2022, in all its historic glory. If Philo were still around, nothing would make him happier…”