Six thousand fans who bought tickets to go along to the Saw Doctors 20th anniversary gigs in Salthill next weekend have Judge Mary Fahy to thank that the concerts are going ahead in spite of objections from a local solicitor and residents from a local housing estate.

Mr Pascal Mullery, solicitor, objected at Galway District Court on Monday to applications lodged by Valerie Dolan, of 1 Greenpark Villas, Ballinacura Road, Limerick, for the granting of an occasional drinks licence and the use of a marquee tent at St Enda's Secondary School, Threadneedle Road, Salthill, Galway, where both sold-out concerts will take place on Saturday 26 July and Sunday 27 July next.

Mr Mullery, whose private residence is nearest to the school grounds where the concerts are to take place, gave evidence he was objecting on behalf of himself and nine of the residents of the 12-house estate, known as The Gardens, where he lives, at the top of Threadneedle Road, Salthill, Galway. Mr Mullery said the granting of a drinks licence was inappropriate for a school grounds, given the difficulties with underage drinking, and that the concerts were not special events as mentioned in the application for an occasional licence, because the Saw Doctors had planned a whole series of concerts around Ireland this summer.

He said the concerts were planned to "latch onto" the Arts Festival and the Galway Races and that did not constitute a special event. Mr Mullery said three other residents were present in court who were objecting to the concerts, while others were unable to attend at such short notice. He pointed out that the Arts Festival tent in the fisheries field was empty on both nights next weekend and he said that would be a more appropriate venue for the concerts.

Saw Doctors' manager, Mr Ollie Jennings, gave an undertaking to the court that he would ensure Mr Mullery's house would be protected by security fencing and that his house would be protected also by security personnel for the entire weekend, to ensure that fans attending the concerts on both nights would not interfere with his property.

In reply to Mr Mullery's suggestion about the tent at the Fisheries Field, Mr Jennings explained Arts Festival boss, Mr Paul Fahy had refused his request to hold the concerts in the Festival Tent, adjacent to Galway Cathedral, even though the tent will be empty on both nights next weekend. He said Mr Fahy told him when he first approached him some moths ago that the tent would be booked out every night but when the Arts Festival programme was published it transpired there were no events listed for the tent for both nights next weekend.