Irish stars led the hundreds of thousands of revellers to flock to see Ed Sheeran in action at Croke Park over the weekend - in what the singer has described as some of his ‘favourite shows ever’.
The Shape of You hitmaker kicked off his world tour in front of a packed out Dublin stadium on Saturday night, before going on to perform to another 80,000 Irish fans on Sunday night.
And as concert goers hailed the shows as 'unforgettable', on a high after his opening night, the chart topper dubbed the experience as ‘probably one of my favourite shows I've ever played’.
Read More: Ed Sheeran takes to Croke Park with 'amazing light show' heard throughout Dublin
"Thank you so much Dublin, I promise it will be a Guinness after this but I need to start with a pint," the musician added, as he pointed a pint of lager to the camera in a video message to his 37 million followers on Instagram.
Denise Chaila and Maisie Peters were the warm up acts at the concerts, which marked the first full-capacity gigs in the GAA headquarters since 2019.
And the long awaited gigs went down ‘spectacularly’ with fans in attendance, including RTE pundit Marty Morrissey and Westlife’s Nicky Byrne, who are well used to working the iconic venue themselves.
Hailing the singer for his solo skills, the sports commentator said: “Ed Sheeran is some performer. What a Show tonight in Croke Park. Spectacular to say the least but ultimately a guy with a guitar on his own. That’s some achievement. Fair play to him. Love his songs and loved his show tonight at GAA Headquarters !! Congratulations Ed Sheeran.”
In another post posing alongside Nicky Byrne, he added: “So there we were…the three of us at the Ed Sheeran Concert in Croke Park discussing who would win the All Ireland Football title this year …
“Tyrone’s Conor Meyler and Westlife’s Nicky Byrne !!! Great to meet my buddies . Ye made the night lads !! And as for Ed Sheeran ….we all thought he was fantastic !!
“Great night in Croke Park!.”
Love Island’s Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling were also spotted in the star studded crowd over the weekend, as they enjoyed the gig alongside pals.
Bray native Laura said: “Dublin I love you! Best crowds in the world. Been so long since I’d been to Croke Park. Congrats @teddysphotos for a truly epic opening night of the tour. Also big up Tina on the fiddle from @maisiehpeters‘s band (who did a great opening set!) Brilliant brilliant live show!!
Love Island and rugby star Greg O’Shea, and his Dancing with the Stars finalist pal Jordan Conroy were also in the crowd on Saturday night, whilst RTE 2fms Laura Fox attended the show with friends and colleagues.
Marking the first location of a three year world tour, the Irish shows displayed Sheeran’s impressive staging, which took place "in the round", on a stage that was specially designed to have no blind spots for the audience.
The rotating stage offers 360 degree views of the action, and huge firework displays throughout the night.
After he wraps up his Dublin gigs, the singer heads to Cork for two dates on April 28 and 29; Limerick on May 5 and 6 and Belfast’s Boucher Playing Fields on May 12 and 13.
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