Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
David Kent

Garth Brooks pops up at playground for singalong ahead of Croke Park gigs

If you've been living under a rock the last few days, you'll be completely unaware that Garth Brooks is in Dublin for the first two of his five sold-out gigs here this weekend.

Having rocked on Friday evening, Garth is getting ready to do it all again on Saturday night.

But it turns out that the 160,000 people that have packed into Croker aren't the only lucky ones to see him perform over the weekend.

READ MORE: Garth Brooks breaks down in tears on Croke Park stage as he is welcomed back by 'screaming loud crowd'

That's because the country music star took a stroll around Dublin on Saturday and ended up in an impromptu singalong with fans at Portland Place.

A massive crowd formed around the singer and started singing his hit 'The Dance' as he posed for pictures.

Local TD Gary Gannon's mother was one of the locals lucky enough to meet her hero and he shared footage of the surreal moment on Twitter.

He wrote: "Cynical as you can be about the whole thing, Garth Brooks is currently having a sing song with me Ma and all the women of Portland Place in the playground and it is absolutely lovely."

Friday evening saw country legend Brooks finally make his return to Ireland to perform, having last done so here back in the late 90s.

There was huge controversy in 2014 when his five gigs were cancelled after local protests, but Garth was in no mood for reflection on Friday as he teared up on stage.

The US native performed a stream of hits, including Friends in Low Place, Rodeo, The Dance, Callin’ Baton Rouge, The Thunder Rolls and That Summer.

The set also included a number of notable covers of Don McLean’s American Pie, Billy Joel’s Piano Man, and a surprise in the form of Shallow, which he performed alongside his wife Trisha Yearwood.

READ NEXT:

Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.