Bob Marley was gifted 'pound of hashish' by notorious crime gang ahead of Dublin gig
A new RTE Radio 1 documentary reveals the singer was hand-delivered drugs by a member of the Dunne mob, who then controlled drug trafficking into Ireland
Reggae legend Bob Marley was once given a "gift" of a pound of hashish by a notorious crime gang when he played in Ireland.
A new RTE Radio 1 documentary reveals the singer was hand-delivered drugs by a member of the Dunne mob, who then controlled drug trafficking into Ireland.
Bob Marley In The Park, which airs today, looks back at the Jamaican’s only Irish gig and his last outdoor concert before his death from cancer in 1981 at the age of 36.
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The Dublin gig by the world’s most famous Rastafarian, which fans have described as "like Shangri-La" or a "religious experience", took place at the current home of Bohemians Football Club in Dalymount Park.
At the time an estimated 23,000 people turned out to see the singer on July 8, 1980.
Before the concert took place, gig promoter Pat Egan who booked Marley for IR£60,000 at the time, said a member of the Dunne gang, brothers Larry, Christy, Shamie and Henry, turned up with a very unlikely gift.
He added: "The first real crime family in Dublin were the Dunnes. Shamie Dunne was one of the main guys.
"They [the band and Marley] did their soundcheck in Dalymount Park on the Sunday morning.
"Some of them were in one of the dressing rooms which was in the backstage area.
"And there was a lot of commotion, someone shouting.
"I said ‘What is it?’ and they said ‘It’s Shamie Dunne, he needs to see Bob’s manager
"The English manager said, ‘Nobody sees Bob before the show’.
"I told him who these guys were, they wanted to see Bob, they had a present for him.
"I saw them carrying something, at least a pound of hash.
"They thought they were doing him a favour, giving him a good Irish welcome."
The documentary also hears never-before-told details from the day.
It includes a rundown of Marley’s rider which included some unusual requests such as Danish pastries and two jars of Jamaican honey.
It is also packed with fascinating anecdotes, from tales of the Wailers having a kickabout on the pitch, to autograph hunting in the Gresham Hotel in Dublin after the gig.
And even recollections of how Marley dedicated Redemption Song to "the Irish struggle".
The documentary will take a look at how the gig itself came about and challenges the organiser had in finding a venue. Promoter Egan also reveals how they struggled to find a suitable concert location after the RDS turned him down.
He said: "The Royal Dublin Society, which is the RDS, refused to take the gig even though I had done other ones there.
"Bob was a Rastafarian and they saw that as being a cult religion, what they perceived as being maybe anti-Irish.
"There were very few outdoor shows.
"Going to a football ground at that time was quite new. It was rare to do something like that."
Photographer on the day, Eric Luke, recalled how Marley, who would die from cancer just 10 months later, didn’t look well at the time.
He recalled: "He had great expressions on his face, very, very expressive. In fact I was a little bit sad because he looked almost angst, almost in pain.
"And I wondered if it was anything to do with the pain or was it just the emotion of the song. I’m not sure."
Promoter Egan agreed: "I said thanks [to Marley] for coming and it was a great gig.
"And everybody loved it and he said, ‘I enjoyed it and we had a great time’.
"I knew by looking at him, face-to-face, that he wasn’t well.
"His skin was going yellow, he was very washed out looking."
Bob Marley In The Park is on RTE Radio 1 at 2pm today.
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