THE FUTURE of music gigs in the Show Grounds during the Strawberry Festival looks to be in jeopardy after this year’s promoters MSL Concerts called a meeting of creditors, with a view to appointing a liquidator to the company.
MSL, which is owned and run by Wexford natives Rob Murphy and Pierce White, was the company behind the 2011 and 2012 Show Grounds gigs but this year’s three-day event was effectively washed-out by heavy rain which resulted in small crowds attending the events.
Speaking to The Echo, director Rob Murphy explained that they had taken the decision to call a creditor’s meeting after it became clear that they would not be able to continue the business with the level of debt that is hanging over them.
“We went into this with the best of intentions. Unfortunately we were trying to run an outdoor event during one of the worst summers on memory and we lost a substantial amount on it.”
There have been fears for MSL since this year’s festival recorded smaller crowds than anticipated, due to bad weather. At a Town Council meeting the following month, it was confirmed that the company had lost money on the event.
On that occasion, Cllr. Sean Doyle said that the gigs had rejuvenated the festival and feared that if they stopped the event would suffer.
[Full story in this week’s Echo]