Alex Conyngham backs Luke Combs to deliver at Slane Concert 2026

Alex Conyngham is relishing a new era of concerts at Slane Castle, as American country artist Luke Combs is set to make history as the first headliner to play consecutive days at the venue. It will also be the first gig without Lord Henry Mount Charles, but Alex feels that his father is still 'on his shoulder' for the magic of Slane.

Alex is the eldest son of Lord Henry Mount Charles, who passed away in June 2025, aged 74. Now fulfilling his duties as heir, Slane Castle is operating under his guidance. Among its many responsibilities comes delivering epic concert nights on the River Boyne shore.

Luke Combs takes the stage on July 18 and 19, in what will be a testing weekend for Slane. “I’m very excited,” Alex said ahead of the weekend. “There’s always a little bit of nervousness, but that’s good - it sharpens the focus… The ambition was to come back, we haven’t done a show since 2023.

“Doing two days is a step up. We haven’t done this before, but everyone is ready.”

In terms of the decision to change to a two-day event, Alex revealed that costs for the Meath venue meant they had to consider new approaches.

“It's a model that allows us to come back. We're up against more venues, particularly stadiums, where the running costs are lower. To make a show work at Slane, the two-day model was an option.”

However, planning gigs at the historic grounds requires plenty of moving parts.

“It was about working with the local authority, the Gardai, and the community on trying to figure out whether that would be possible. Once that was sorted, it was about who could pull two days off. Luke Combs was the answer.

“We've had to expand a bit to allow for camping on site and to allow for additional parking. The traffic management plan has obviously had to change. There's been an enormous amount of planning that's gone into this from all parties involved and all of the stakeholders.”

The cleaning process for the event is also going to undergo some adjustment, as there is more pressure to suppress disruption in this part of Meath. “Cleaning is a big operation. The priority as always will be making sure that the village and the roadways are clean. Ideally, before people start their day.

“That work starts early - we've also got to get the field and the site itself ready for the second day. It's a big step up for the cleaning operation. I'm confident we'll pull it off.”

The post-gig clean-up had been done by local volunteers in the past. However, the introduction of two days means that is also something that must be changed.

“Now we work with an external contractor because the technology's come on, they have specialist equipment - which is very important in terms of doing the job quickly.”

Old school country is Alex's preference, as he named artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Tony Joe White, and Johnny Cash. However, the new era of the genre is one that the Slane Whiskey founder admires.

“I love the storytelling that goes within it, it’s just had a meteoric rise. Country music was going to happen eventually in Slane. Everyone's taking from it now, whether it's Beyonce or Post Malone. It's a genre that has bled into other genres.”

Slane Castle has been labeled a rock venue since its first concert in 1981, and although acts such as Madonna, Eminem, and Harry Styles have twisted this narrative, Combs’ announcement still came as a surprise.

“I don’t think anyone saw it coming. It's nice to pull a rabbit out of a hat. I think we did that with Harry Styles.

“Myself and dad were very clear that we wanted Slane to be a venue that everyone has the chance to go to, so we don't box ourselves into one genre.”

Criteria needed to play at Slane Castle was described by Alex as being both big enough, and possessing ‘something special, a little bit of magic’, both of which he feels Combs has.

“One of his hits has over 1 billion streams on Spotify, he’s won countless awards. To play here, they’ve got to be big enough to pull off a Slane audience.”

Not only is the change to a two-day event something new for Alex to juggle, it is also something that locals in Slane are anticipating. Concerns over the extra day from those in the village were given some remedy, as MCD are committed to establishing a €61,000 community fund to the locality. Regarding this, Alex expressed the importance of community support and understanding in the context of making concerts possible.

“We've always had huge support and understanding from the local community. We're very grateful - we realise it's an ask. I'm delighted that we've been able to reach an agreement and move forward. The concerts have always happened off the back of that support, and that will hopefully continue. With this new two-day mode, hopefully we'll have an even stronger future together and it'll be good for the locality.”

This summer’s double-header marks the first Slane event without concert visionary Lord Henry Mount Charles. However, Alex still believes that his father is very much a part of what is to come.

“I feel like he’s still there on my shoulder. We did a lot of shows together. Although he may not be here physically, his counsel is there for me spiritually when faced with difficult decisions. I have a pretty clear idea of where he would sway on choices - that’s very helpful for me.”

In terms of the biggest challenge that concert organising throws at him, Alex feels it is transport and access to and from the castle, something that is often a talking point around the big day.

“Our priority is that everyone gets here and home safely - to ensure attendees had a really positive and memorable experience... The traffic management plan has had to change. There's been an enormous amount of planning.

“It’s quite a complex organisation but as long as we have the right cooperation and level of community involvement, I think it will run well. Once the report comes in after the gig that people have gotten home safely, with no incidents, everybody’s happy. That’s the single most important thing.”

Slane concerts are demanding in terms of their build-up and execution. However, the results are worthwhile, as Alex explained some of his favorite parts and memories of the celebration.

“I will always find a moment to slip anonymously into the crowd, get down into the pit and soak up the atmosphere. Sometimes it's difficult to do that, but that’s my favourite moment; being in the crowd and soaking up the atmosphere, looking back up at the castle, having a smile and a sing-song.”

In terms of his favorite concerts in the past, Queen in 1986 and Metallica in 2019 stuck out for different reasons.

“I recall when Freddie Mercury burst out onto the stage after a solo from Brian May. He let fly with this incredible note, and the crowd just erupted. I watched that moment and I realized how powerful live music can be.

“At Metallica, I had my dad on my right and my son Rory on my left. We were looking out from the castle as Metallica performed a cover of ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ by Thin Lizzy. Three generations together - incredible. Dad got quite emotional because he remembered Thin Lizzy playing that song in 1981."

Despite his memories of gigs stretching back 40 years, the excitement is not beginning to dwindle for Alex. "I always feel that it's quite a spiritual experience and the magic of that never disappears. You've got the River Boyne flowing behind the stage - you're surrounded by this beautiful theatre of trees and landscape.

If there was anyone who was on the fence about attending Slane Castle for Luke Combs, Alex had a clear message to deliver:

"You can see an artist in a stadium, but you don't often get to see an artist in the magic of the Boyne Valley - in an open field with the trees and river surrounding you. It's something special. If you haven't done it, I recommend you do."

Luke Combs will be the fifth person on stage at the legendary concert setting as he is joined by top quality support.

Galway’s Jamie McIntyre will be the one opening the show in Slane, as he will be followed by country trio The Castellows. Then, American act Ty Myers will take the stage, before chief support from Dublin The Script will warm up the crowd for the main event.