The majestic and historic Slane Castle sits on a hill above the River Boyne in County Meath, Ireland, about 30 miles away from Dublin.
The current Georgian mansion was built in 1785 by the Conyngham family who replaced an earlier fortified structure that had stood on the estate since the 15th century.
Overlooking the Boyne Valley, the estate is one with the other Irish historical sites including the Hill of Slane and the nearby battlefield where the Battle of the Boyne took place in 1690 between Protestant King William III and Catholic King James II for the British throne. When William proved victorious it secured Protestant rule in Ireland and forced James II’s to exile in France.
The grounds stretch over 1,500 acres and the mansion made of local limestone measures roughly 50,000 square feet. For centuries it was merely residential but in the 1980s a hero emerged.
Lord Mount Charles aka Henry Conyngham thought up the bright idea of having rock concerts on the grounds that create a natural amphitheater. Best of all: 70k-80k music fans can enjoy his family's property.
Thin Lizzy, U2, Rose Tattoo: Slane Festival 8/16/81
The first concert at Slane Castle took place on a Sunday in August when Thin Lizzy headlined the inaugural Slane Festival.
U2 were still an emerging band at the time and appeared on the bill as one of the supporting acts that also included Rose Tattoo. U2 were wrapping up their Boy Tour earlier that summer and were more than ready to feature new material from their forthcoming sophomore LP, October.
The fans on the grounds of the castle waiting for Thin Lizzy got to hear "Gloria," "With a Shout" and three other live debuts that afternoon.
The Irish quartet has performed there three times, the most of any artist. They even recorded several tracks from The Unforgettable Fire at Slane.
However the castle on the cover of the classic album is *not* Slane. That one is the ruins of the 18th century Moydrum Castle. Photographer Anton Corbijn just thought it looked cool.
Several concerts at Slane Castle have become milestones for the huge acts that have played in the shadows of its walls.
Rolling Stones, 7/24/82
The Rolling Stones headlined the 1982 festival during the Euro leg of their Still Life tour in support of Tattoo You.
Joining them were J. Geils Band, The Chieftains, and George Thorogood and The Destroyers.
If you look closely, you'll see that even though they were celebrating what would be, arguably, their last great album and their last huge single, "Start Me Up," they British legends did not kick off the set with the tune - even though they would on subsequent tours.
Instead they led with the '60s classic "Under My Thumb" and didn't get to "Start Me Up" until the third to last song of the day.
The Stones would return to the Castle in 2007 to headline the fest that year.
And there they started the show with "Start Me Up."
Queen, 7/5/86
Queen headlined the fest in 1986 in front of one of the largest crowds the site had seen up to that point. As part of the Magic Tour, the group led by Freddie Mercury delivered a 27-song set to approximately 86,000 music lovers.
The Bangles were also on the set but everyone was there for Queen who had just blown minds with their Live Aid set the summer before.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, 8/23/03
By 2003, the Slane Festival had worked out the wrinkles, improved, and grown to a manageable monster capable of several huge acts.
The Chili Peppers headlined but also on the bill were Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, PJ Harvey and Morcheeba and others.
Flea, Anthony, Chad and John even brought a professional crew to the castle to capture the night for the concert DVD Live at Slane Castle (2003).
Harry Styles, 7/10/2023
The Love On Tour party supporting Harry’s House rolled into Ireland in 2023. Your boy played 22 tunes to over 80k fans, making it the largest crowd of the tour.
Wet Leg was one of the openers for the show, which was the last Sloan Fest as there was none in 2024, 2025, or one scheduled for this year.
There will be a huge concert though there this summer. In fact there will be two.
Luke Combs, the man who brought Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" back to the forefront, and who has been selling out football stadiums around the US, will be the first artist to play back-to-back concerts at the Castle on July 18 & 19.
Tickets available on Luke's website.
Other Venue Spotlights: The Apollo Theater, Aragon Ballroom, The Bluebird Cafe, First Avenue, The Fillmore, The Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood Palladium, KIA Forum, Madison Square Garden, Massey Hall, The Metro, Nippon Budokan, O2 Arena, O2 Academy Brixton, Pappy & Harriet's Palace, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks, Royal Albert Hall, The Ryman Auditorium, The Sphere, Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, The Whisky, 9:30 Club
