Slane Castle

Slane Castle is located in the town of Slane, within the Boyne Valley of County Meath, Ireland. The castle has been the family home of the Conyngham family since the 18th century.

It holds the Slane Concert event within its grounds, with the Irish Independent claiming in 2004 that "Slane today is the kind of internationally recognised venue that can claim even Madonna's attention". Its sloping lawns form a natural amphitheatre.

History

Overlooking the River Boyne, just a few kilometres upstream from Newgrange and the site of the famous Battle of the Boyne, Slane Castle in its existing form was constructed under the direction of William Burton Conyngham, together with his nephew The 1st Marquess Conyngham. The reconstruction dates back to 1785 and is principally the work of James Gandon, James Wyatt and Francis Johnston. Francis Johnston was also the architect responsible for the gothic gates on the Mill Hill, located to the east of the castle.

The Conyngham's are originally a Scottish Protestant family, who planted in Ireland in 1611, during the Plantation of Ulster in County Donegal. With that, the family asserted control over lands around the village of Tamhnach an tSalainn, near Donegal Town in the south of County Donegal. Concurrently, the then head of the family, Charles Conyngham, renamed the village in his own honor as "Mount Charles". The family also controlled an extensive estate in West Donegal, especially in The Rosses district.

Slane Concert

Slane Concert (often referred to as Slane) is a recurring concert held most years since 1981 on the grounds of Slane Castle near Slane, County Meath, Ireland. The castle is owned by Henry Conyngham, who had the courtesy title, the Earl of Mount Charles from 1974 until 2009. Slane lies between Navan and Drogheda, about 45 km northwest of Dublin. Concerts typically occur on a Saturday in August, from 12:00 to 22:00. However, the 2011 concert occurred on 28 May and the first concert of 2013 took place on 15 June.

The sloping grounds of Slane Castle form a natural amphitheatre which is ideal for concerts. As many as 70,000–110,000 people usually attend. One of the venue boundaries is the River Boyne. Two people died while trying to swim the river to gain free access to R.E.M.'s concert in 1995. The minimum age of admission to the Slane Concert was reduced in 2006 from 18 to 16 because of complaints.

Aiken Promotions invited artists such as David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Queen, The Rolling Stones, and Bruce Springsteen to perform during the 1980s. 2001 and 2013 are the only years in which two concerts were held in the same year. In 2001, both concerts were headlined by U2. In 2013, the first concert was headlined by Bon Jovi and the second by Eminem, who had controversially cancelled his 2005 Slane appearance after entering drug rehabilitation.

Live at Slane Castle (Red Hot Chili Peppers video)

Live at Slane Castle is a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert video released in 2003, two years after the release of their last concert DVD, Off the Map. The concert taped was their second show at Slane Castle in Ireland, the Foo Fighters also played as the opening act, and have their own DVD footage of the concert. It was filmed on August 23, 2003 and the DVD was released on November 17, 2003. The DVD shows the full concert except for the Donna Summer song I Feel Love covered by guitarist John Frusciante and "Soul to Squeeze", because Frusciante broke a string during that song. Additionally, a mistake made by Frusciante during "Maybe" has been edited on the DVD.

The DVD was received with mixed reviews, but most gave the live footage a seal of approval. Many were upset with the lack of pre-Blood Sugar Sex Magik songs. Nothing from the band's first four albums was performed. Upon release, Columbus Alive columnist Wayne King declared the DVD to be the "greatest live concert of all time." The DVD artwork is also noteworthy for its lack of quality photographs and 'thrown-together' packaging compared to similar live concert DVDs released by other artists.

Slane

Slane (Irish: Baile Shláine, meaning Town of Sláine mac Dela) is a village in County Meath, in Ireland. The village stands on a steep hillside on the left bank of the River Boyne at the intersection of the N2 (Dublin to Monaghan road) and the N51 (Drogheda to Navan road). In 2006 Slane's population was 1,099, having grown from 823 in 2002. The population of the village and the surrounding rural area was 1,587 in 2006, up from 1,336 in 2002. The village centre dates from the 18th century. The village and surrounding area contains many historic sites dating back over 5,000 years.

The village

This village was founded by the family line of the Flanders (now Fleming). They abandoned the Estate when they emigrated to America. The village centre, laid out as a model village by the Conynghams is a good example of 18th-century town planning. At the centre of the village stand four nearly identical Georgian houses. The four houses stand at the intersection of the two main streets in the village. The four houses and four streets form an octagon. This feature is known as The Square. The two main streets in the village feature 18th century grey limestone buildings with slate roofs, oriel windows and stone steps and archways. At present there is a comprehensive Village Development Plan in operation. In 2007 Meath County Council proposed that both Slane village and the mill be recognised as Architectural Conservation Areas and protected according.

Slane (disambiguation)

Slane may refer to: