Heroes
additional photography: getty images (1), reuters (1), rex features (3)
A very special Venue Left: Thousands of fans flock to see their heroes perform in this spectacular setting. Music royalty including Mick Jagger (above) and the Rolling Stones, U2 (below), Bob Dylan (bottom left) and Madonna (centre left) have all performed at Slane Castle. For U2 it’s also become something of a spiritual home. The band moved in to record their album The Unforgettable Fire, turning the ballroom into a makeshift studio
was the biggest, most exuberant audience he’d ever played in front of. About two years ago he quietly came back here with his family to relive that experience and he spent an afternoon here with me and my wife. That is what Slane is about.” U2 were so impressed by Slane and Mountcharles that in 1984 they moved in with the family to write and record their album The Unforgettable Fire at the castle, transforming the ballroom into a makeshift studio. It firmly cemented his friendship with the band, and bassist Adam Clayton in particular, who has since attended Alex’s wedding and is godfather to Mountcharles’s youngest daughter Tamara. Slane is now an aspirational gig for those who haven’t played there, and an unforgettable one for those who have. “The gigs there were amazingly good,” says Rick McMurray, drummer of the Northern Irish band Ash, who have played Slane twice. “The best was in 2001 when we supported U2. I knew it was almost a spiritual home for them. It’s not every day you get to play at a magnificent castle that has so much history and musical history too.” Mountcharles’s personal touch plays a big role in Slane’s reputation. Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin supported Oasis there in 2009 with platinum-selling Irish band The Blizzards. “It wasn’t so much about who we were supporting but where we were playing,” he says. “It means a lot as you have to be invited. It’s a surreal setting and Henry’s just ridiculously gentlemanly. I’ll never forget the way he treated us and our families, and he’s like that with everybody.” As a result of his raised profile in Ireland and beyond, Mountcharles has been able to indulge his love of politics over the years. He is currently an outspoken columnist for the Irish Daily Mirror and, in 1992, he ran an election campaign to win a seat for Fine Gael in Louth. Though he was unsuccessful, his share of the vote was more than respectable, showing how far the Anglo-Irish aristocrat had gone up in local estimations since he first arrived. He won’t rule out running for office again, but for now he and son Alex are concentrating on securing the next 300 years of family history here: there’s the US launch of Slane Castle whiskey and the organising of the 2011 concert to mark both the 30th anniversary of live music at Slane and Mountcharles’s 60th birthday. He will celebrate here, a more content man than he arrived, king of a castle he’s made his own. “It took until I was in my mid-30s to feel like this was where I wanted to be,” he says. “But this place had always been under my skin. I’m the eighth Marquess Conyngham, my son will be the ninth and my grandson the 10th, so we are merely custodians here for a given time and I feel very privileged to be part of that.” Outside the castle, Mountcharles and wife Iona prepare to finish for the day. “Oh look there’s Jim Corr [of Irish group The Corrs] in his helicopter,” he says, looking skywards and waving. “Hello Jim!” Then the couple go back inside, shutting the castle doors behind them, to enjoy a rare night off. For more information on Slane Castle, visit www.slanecastle.ie
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