After playing three of the most eagerly awaited concerts in the history of Croke Park over the weekend, nobody would blame Garth Brooks for quietly retreating to some luxurious gated enclave and reflecting on a job well done.
ut far from hiding himself with some top-class room service while he prepares to bring the curtain down on his world stadium tour in Dublin this weekend, the country music legend appears to have enjoyed some very public holidays while here.
Since first landing into Ireland with his wife Trisha Yearwood and his tight-knit inner circle on Wednesday last week, the 60-year-old Grammy winner has defied all expectations when it comes to his time in Ireland.
Not only has he done quite the whistle-stop tour of our fair isle in a matter of a few days, he has also posed for selfies with all the beaming locals he met along the way.
It’s all a far cry from some of the reclusive behaviour we have come to expect from a superstar of his stature.
Much like Beyoncé Knowles going for a casual bike ride around Phoenix Park before a visit to Dublin Zoo with her daughter Blue in 2014, Brooks has delighted everyone by doing his own version of a Fáilte Ireland tour. Like a celebrity “Where’s Wally?”, there’s no way of knowing where he’ll pop up next.
First up, he held an impromptu press conference last Thursday just to talk about his upcoming shows and dish out free T-shirts to the assembled members of the media. There was also the unexpected appearance at a playground in Portland Place in Dublin’s north inner city.
He smiled and posed for photos, as astonished residents engaged in an impromptu singalong.
Then after receiving rave reviews for his trio of long-awaited shows at Croke Park, on Monday he was pictured in the Wicklow beauty spot of Glendalough with his singer wife Yearwood.
At first glance, he looked just like a typical American tourist as he cut a relaxed figure strolling around the monastic site accompanied by a guide in a hi-vis jacket.
Afterwards, he and his wife headed for lunch at the Wicklow Heather restaurant in nearby Laragh where they posed for photos with delighted owner Betty Kenny.
Ms Kenny said in a social media post how they had “friends in high places” after the celebrity couple dropped in for lunch and posed for a picture with her.
She said they were “such a lovely couple and we were so happy to show them our antique book collection”.
Then, on Tuesday, Brooks made his way to Limerick where he greeted members of the Munster rugby squad who were training in University of Limerick. He readily posed for a picture with George Murray and the entire team while also having a game of basketball on campus.
According to Munster assistant coach Denis Leamy, Brooks “just showed up out of the blue” while they were in the middle of a session.
“We were doing an indoor preparation session; a little bit of mauling. So he arrived with his camera crew and a few of his people into the middle of it. It was quite bizarre really,” he said.
Rumoured to be staying between Kerry and Dublin’s Merrion Hotel in between his final two stadium shows, he was also filmed in Dingle pub Dick Mack’s. As well as having a pint there, he belted out a few songs for customers including If Tomorrow Never Comes and a cover of Billy Joel’s Piano Man, which he also performs during his Croker shows.
But, lest we forget, he is being filmed while he’s over here for a documentary film.
A camera crew was already assembled on the tarmac, capturing the moment that he first touched down on Irish soil, eight years on from the 2014 “Garthgate” debacle.
And it’s fair to say that footage of him holed up in his hotel room for the duration of his trip would not make for a very engaging programme.
That’s not to suggest his nationwide charm offensive has not gone down a treat – especially for his delighted fans who have been avidly following his progress. Amid gloomy news of late, he has provided an unexpected lift.
After waiting for so long for him to come here, many will lament his leaving.
