IT’S fair to say that I have heavily invested in Bruce Springsteen’s pension plan at this point.
Although I was a relative latecomer and only saw him first about fifteen years ago, as I skipped the short distance from my home in Marino to Croke Park last Sunday, it would be my fourth time seeing The Boss live and boy did he deliver!
On a picture-perfect May Sunday, Bruce and the ‘heart-stopping, pants-dropping, love-making, earth-quaking, viagra-taking’ E-Street band captured the hearts of the 80,000 or so who had gathered to take in a dizzying, career-spanning three-hour set. Not bad for a 74-year-old and it marks his 35th Irish concert over the past 39 years.
I was joined on Sunday by Hollywood A-listers Paul Rudd and Brad Pitt, by which I mean they happened to also be in Croke Park at the same time as we were there.
It was the last of four concerts on the island on this tour and I’m sure some of you got a glimpse of the magic when he swung by Cork.
There’s something about the Bruce persona that just works in Ireland.
We like him because he still carries off that down-to-earth authenticity despite his obvious wealth (and despite the eye-watering ticket prices).
Famously, Bruce shares equal amounts with his band members which is one of the reasons he is called ‘the Boss’ in the music business.
No wonder they all look so happy up there every night. The set ended with a mesmeric Rainy Day in Soho and a tribute to its author Shane MacGowan.
It was one of a few sombre moments amongst the celebratory mood and Bruce left the stage with nothing left in the tank, emotional and exhausted but still truckin’ on, a man born to run if ever there was one.
Happy with Diddly Squat
IT’S not a thing I thought would happen in this life. I did not expect to be sat at home in front of the box teary-eyed watching British TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson crying about a dead pig. But it’s all part of life’s rich tapestry, I suppose.
The third season of Clarkson’s Farm is back on Amazon Prime and if you haven’t seen it, I would suggest you tune in.
You may be allergic to Clarkson and his brash onscreen presence but there’s no denying the formatting and storytelling genius behind this series which offers a fly-on-the-wall account of his attempt at running a 1,000-acre farm which he calls ‘Diddly Squat’ near Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds.
The series is an amazing insight into the challenges farmers face in an era of climate change and ever-increasing regulation.
Obviously, Clarkson is in no danger of approaching the breadline himself, and you get the sense that a lot of the stories are heavily produced for the camera, but this doesn’t take away from the genuine drama and emotion that the series brings forth, in spades.
In this recent episode, Clarkson and his Irish partner Lisa tried to raise their own pigs and things didn’t quite go to plan. It’s worth a look.
Rich list a bit rich for me
THE Sunday Times Rich List delivered another let-down this year, as I once again failed to secure a spot among Britain and Ireland’s wealthiest individuals.
However, I’m far from alone in my struggles to hit the big time.
The latest edition of the list revealed the largest decline in UK billionaires over its 36-year history.
After peaking at 177 in 2022, the number has plummeted to 165 in 2024.
While some tycoons opted to relocate to sunnier, lower-tax havens, others found themselves outweighed by the economic burdens of inflation and soaring borrowing costs in post-Brexit Britain.
It’s not all bad news – music legend Paul McCartney became Britain’s first billionaire musician. All you need is love, says he, although a few quid in your arse pocket doesn’t hurt either.
Of course this week also saw the passing of a legendary Irish tycoon, whose fortunes had dipped significantly in recent years.
Nobody can doubt Tony O’Reilly’s business legacy, with some of the brands he championed still succeeding globally, in particular the incredible continuing success story that is Kerrygold.
He was no stranger to West Cork, his bolthole in Glandore, now sold, was the venue for an infamous meeting with one of John Bruton’s advisors over unlicensed TV operators.
Oh if only those walls could talk.
