It took 20 years for Madonna to play in Ireland but for her 80,000 fans who packed into the grounds of Slane Castle it was well worth the wait.

Any pretender to her throne was left in no doubt that Madonna is the undisputed Queen of Pop as she belted out hit after hit in a high-octane performance which left the crowd panting for more. She may be 46 but the superstar showed no signs of slowing down. “I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to play here“, she told her delighted fans “It’s great to be in Ireland at last“.

Even the downpours failed to dampen the spirits of fans, though at one stage Madonna, whose arrival on stage was delayed by the weather, did plead with the rain to stop. The singer’s career has spanned two decades so there was plenty of material for the Material Girl to choose from. All the hit singles were there – Papa Don’t Preach, American Life, Into the Groove and a jazzed-up version of Deeper And Deeper.

There were several costume changes too, from black sequined hotpants to a kilt, but it was a teeshirt emblazoned with the words Irish Do It Better which won the fans’ approval. Crowd favourites Music and Like A Prayer had the Slane audience singing along in unison while she saved her early hit Holiday for the last song of the night.

While most fans hailed her debut Irish appearance a major success, the event ended on a sour note for a group of Ulster fans. Up to 40 people were left stranded when a bus organised to convey them down to Slane and home left without them. A number of people had to fork out €150 for a taxi back to Belfast, while others were forced to sleep overnight in Slane.

One angry concert-goer, Clare Jackson from east Belfast, said somebody had to take responsibility. “We were told to be back at the bus by midnight but the concert didn’t finish to 11.20pm and by the time we had walked from the Castle to where the buses were parked through the hordes of fans it was nearly 1am. “But we were convinced at least one of the seven buses which brought us down would still be there. “I couldn’t believe it when we realised that we had been abandoned in Slane.

“It’s not the type of place where you can pick up hotel accommodation or get a taxi.”

Source: Maureen Coleman, Belfast Telegraph