6 Of The Most Epic Irish Rock Concerts We All Wished We Were At

Do you ever look at events from the past and just wish that you could’ve been there? We certainly do.

Ireland has played host to some truly epic gigs in the past, ones which sadly took place before we were born or when we were just too young to appreciate them.

To celebrate the fact that a rather unique gig is coming to The Fiddler’s Creek in Sligo this month as part of the Smithwick’s Soundtrack Series, which reimagines the music that accompanied the classic films Pulp Fiction and Apocalypse Now, we thought we’d take a look at some of the most spectacular concerts that have even taken place in Ireland.

And who knows, you might even catch a star in the making at the Smithwick’s Soundtrack Series that’ll go down in history.

Now, let’s take a look at a few concerts of epic proportions that we just wish we could’ve experienced…

The Beatles, Adelphi Cinema, 1963

Dublin positively erupted when the Fab Four came to town at the height of Beatlemania.

Such was the excitement surrounding the superstars performance that the crowd went wild, with fights breaking out, cars overturned and the Gardai called to the scene.

Paul, John, George and Ringo had to make a sneaky escape in order to get away from the mayhem… but still, just imagine that atmosphere.

U2, Dandelion Market, 1979

Say what you will about U2, in their early days they were undoubtedly phenomenal.

The crowd was enthralled by the charisma and energy of the young Bono, who seemed set for greatness from the very beginning.

Rory Gallagher, Macroom Mountain Dew Festival, 1977

This was a true milestone in Irish musical history: our very first open air concert.

While a score of lesser known rockers performed at the festival in Cork’s Castle Estate, the real draw was the headliner Rory Gallagher, a guitarist of such virtuosity that Jimi Hendrix himself conceded he was the superior musician.

Puts Electric Picnic to shame a wee bit.