Row over Madonna Sunday concert

The choice of date is said to be down to Madonna's tour schedule

Pop queen Madonna is facing a battle to stage the only Irish concert of her world tour at Slane Castle on a Sunday.

Local residents say they will take out a High Court injunction to stop the gig because of fears of public disorder.

Madonna would become the first musician to play at the venue, 30 miles (50 km) north of Dublin, on a Sunday since Bob Dylan's 1984 show ended in riots.

Sunday 29 August was the only date that the star could fit in, the castle's owner Lord Henry Mount Charles said.

After Dylan's infamous gig, drunken fans caused mayhem in the town and concerts were suspended at the venue for several years.

When they resumed they were restricted to Saturdays.

Lord Mount Charles, who still has to get a licence for the show, said: "I knew people would stir up memories of 1984.

"This year Bob Dylan is playing in Galway on Sunday 27 June. So if he can play there on a Sunday, I am puzzled why there is opposition to Madonna playing Slane on a Sunday."

However, speaking on BBC Radio Ulster on Friday, Slane parish priest, Father Joe Deegan said he was worried that there could be trouble.

He added that he thought it was "inconsiderate and insensitive" to stage a concert on a Sunday in what was a largely Roman Catholic country.

Madonna's Slane Castle gig will take place after a series of sold-out shows at London's Earl's Court and Wembley Arena.

They will also follow a two-month tour of the US, starting in Los Angeles on 24 May.