How the quiet village of Slane was ‘besieged’ before Bob Dylan took to the stage 40 years ago today

The music legend was set to play the iconic venue on July 8, 1984, as concertgoers descended on the small, quiet village in Co Meath ahead of his first Irish show in almost two decades.

Reports point to a row in a pub as the catalyst for bizarre violence that broke out just before midnight on July 7, when a crowd followed those being arrested to the local garda station.

There were reportedly fewer than two dozen gardaí on duty that night, when a crowd surrounded the station for over an hour, throwing rocks and missiles at the windows and later at gardaí who attempted to disperse the group of around 40 revellers.

The same number of gardaí were on duty the night before the Rolling Stones took to the stage in Slane just two years prior, with more set to arrive on the day of the concert.

Varying reports put the ultimate figure of the crowds involved in battles with gardaí in the hundreds, with some noting there were up to 600 and another describing 1,000 “besieging the station” that night.

Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 8th 2024

A witness said gardaí used “bread boards and milk crates as riot shields” before reinforcements arrived from surrounding towns, when a baton charge brought the crowd under control about 3am.

Three vehicles were burnt out during the unprecedented scenes in the small town and many were hospitalised with injuries, including eight gardaí.

Reporters and local residents described a “reign of terror” setting in over the village that night, with many believing too much alcohol lead to the mob wreaking havoc on the local area.

The Irish Independent described “the weekend of terror” on the front page of the paper on July 9, detailing the additional security in place for the concert in the aftermath of “the battle of Slane” which saw youths fight among themselves, hurl rocks and bottles at gardaí and “loot shops” in the village.

Gardaí banned all sales of alcohol in the village after 5pm on the day of the gig, despite a late-night extension previously being granted to publicans ahead of the occasion.

People were “screaming and running”, with one witness telling RTÉ the events were like the “Brixton riots”.

Windows of local businesses and homes were smashed and broken glass covered the main street before a major clean-up operation took place to pave the way for Dylan.

"The Rolling Stones was a teddy bear’s picnic in comparison to what happened here last night, that people were actually afraid in their own homes, had to barricade their doors with furniture. They feared for the safety of their children,” said local publican Michael Kelly, who described the scenes in the town as “disgusting” in an interview with RTÉ reporter Joe O’Brien.

"We don’t want this type of element in our village.”

The Irish Examiner described the village as “a sea of broken glass and empty beer cans” in the aftermath of the incident as a senior garda laid blame largely on “cider and drugs” for the outburst.

Coverage of the riot made it as far as the pages of The New York Times in the days that followed, which told how “villagers cleared the wreckage” ahead of the Dylan concert “at an ancient battle site”.

More than 40,000 people attended the gig, with Slane Castle owner Henry Mountcharles describing the violence as “appalling” in the aftermath and admitting it would prompt him to consider the future of concerts at the venue.

Despite the scenes the night before, Dylan played a memorable gig on the iconic grounds and was at one point joined on stage by Van Morrison and later by U2 frontman Bono, who improvised a verse to ‘Blowin’ In the Wind’ when he was brought on stage for a duet.