A field day for celebrity spotters as VIP fans are entertained in lordly style

The sun came out for the gig of the year, and quite a few celebrities were spotted in the vicinity of the Slane VIP area.

The sun came out for the gig of the year, and quite a few celebrities were spotted in the vicinity of the Slane VIP area.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell was seen sashaying around while ex-fiance Adam Clayton prepared to take the stage with U2.

Australian pop star Natalie Imbruglia also made it to the gig, rubbing shoulders with former Northern Secretary Mo Mowlam and Irish Grand Prix driver Eddie Irvine.

Irish stars also came out for Slane 2001, including Bryan McFadden of boy band Westlife, and pop queen Samantha Mumba, who has just finished filming Stephen Spielberg's The Time Machine in Hollywood.

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"It was a fantastic experience," she told The Irish Times. "The movie will be released in America on Christmas Day, and in Ireland sometime next year."

She was looking forward to seeing U2: "I'm a huge fan of the band, I saw them in LA recently and they just blew me away."

Another up-and-coming movie star, Gerry Butler, was also blown away by U2's massive show. The Scottish actor has just finished filming Reign Of Fire in Ireland with Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale.

Enjoying the gig from a vantage point at the side of the stage was actor John Hurt, who will be seen in Krapp's Last Tape at the Gate Theatre next week. "I thought they were tremendous, very professional, especially in the light of what's happened with Bono's father. It must have been difficult for him."

Mike Peters, leader of Welsh rock band, The Alarm, has toured with U2 many times throughout the 1980s, but this time he was just here to add his applause. "The last time I was at Slane Castle, they were recording The Unforgettable Fire, just over in that room there," he recalled.

After U2 played their final encore and the last of the fireworks fizzled out, Lord Mount Charles hosted a lavish if subdued lig inside the castle, which was attended by the very VIPs.

Kevin Courtney

Kevin Courtney

Kevin Courtney is an Irish Times journalist