Updated 18.07
The Taoiseach Enda Kenny says the cancellation of all five Garth Brooks concerts at Croke Park in Dublin shows the issue was "very badly handled".
In a statement, Aiken Promotions said "It is with great regret that Aiken Promotions today announce that the five concert Garth Brooks Comeback Special Event at Croke Park has been cancelled. No concerts will take place".
"Aiken Promotions have exhausted all avenues regarding the staging of this event. We are very disappointed for the 400,000 fans who purchased tickets for The Garth Brooks Comeback Special Event" it added.
The process for returning tickets will be outlined tomorrow.
Enda Kenny has told the Dail he feels for Garth Brooks fans this evening.
Ticketmaster have said "We are working on a plan to make the cancellation process as simple and convenient as possible for customers".
"However the scale of this operation is unprecedented in the Irish entertainment industry and therefore we would ask customers to continue to be patient while we finalise our plan" they added.
We will be refunding train bookings to attend #GarthBrooks concerts in full. Details of arrangements will be confirmed in coming days
— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) July 8, 2014
Irish Rail say they will refund all train bookings to the concerts
'Worth €100 million to the economy'
The Irish Hotels Federation estimates the cancellation of the concerts will cost the city €100 million in lost revenue.
Stephen McNally from the Federation says they will do their best to help customers.
The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) says the hospitality industry has been left reeling after the cancelled concerts.
Chief Executive of the RAI, Adrian Cummins said "The breakdown in communication between organisations in the Garth Brooks fiasco has the potential to damage Brand Ireland abroad, but also tourism businesses internally".
"The cancellation of all five concerts in July will tarnish the image of Ireland as a tourist destination to overseas visitors, and disrupts the travel plans of thousands of concert- goers who have already booked flights, hotels and tours".
The CEO of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Gina Quinn, says planning laws for events like this now need to change.
The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan says it is an embarrassment to the country.
The opposition have also been reacting to the news, saying it is a bad day for Ireland as a tourist destination.
Fianna Fáil tourism spokesperson Timmy Dooley commented "No one should be in any doubt about the damage that has been done here. Ireland is a country that has worked very hard over many years to promote itself as a tourism venue, and until recently we used to understand very well the marketing power of music events packaged under the 'Live in Dublin' brand" he said.
"With this debacle we have shot ourselves in the foot in a pretty spectacular way. This is a bad day for Ireland Inc" he added.
And the Lord Mayor of Dublin Christy Burke has said the move is 'heartbreaking'.
Amanda Fee is just one fan who had tickets.
