Lord Henry Mountcharles has said he hopes to have two big concerts in his beloved Slane Castle next year, but wouldn’t hint at who he has his eye on. 

The rock enthusiast said there are “quite a few hurdles” to jump before anything is finalised, but said one if not two big shows next year “would be great”. 

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One today, Mountcharles said “like hell I will” when asked by host Brendan O’Connor if he would tell who he has shortlisted for the shows. 

He said many acts will have their eyes on the slots after what will be two years without performing because of the pandemic.

“Discussions are taking place with the promoters and venues...so we will see where it goes,”  Lord Mountcharles said, adding that decisions would be informed by experimental gigs that have taken place in other countries.

“There are quite a few hurdles to jump, looking at all the data that's coming out of Barcelona and Liverpool,” he said.

"So all of this will hopefully become clearer because with this Covid thing complacency is not a word that should be in the frame.

“So all that said one big show would be great, maybe two. Really what I’m allowing for is if I am presented with two artists or acts that I would think really deserve a slot for Slane – which happened in the Eminem and Bon Jovi case - I wanted to give them both an opportunity.”

The 69-year-old became seriously ill from lung cancer in the past year, and spent most of his time cocooning with his wife Iona in Beauparc House, Co Meath, which is only a few miles from his original family home in Slane. 

He candidly spoke about how he almost died twice in the last year, and how he is finally getting back to a somewhat normal life after being fully vaccinated against Covid-19. 

The concert organiser has also been open about his struggle with alcohol addiction and admitted that while battling cancer there were times he craved a drink. 

“Not really, I do occasionally [miss drinking],” he said.

"Particularly during my cancer situation when I had one or two pieces of bad news I felt like having a stiff drink, but if you’ve got a problem like I have you just can’t go there.

“The only drink I have is to sip a whiskey, and I do mean sip, just for the taste of it.

“At this stage in my life I don’t miss it, I think it’s a decade or more since I’ve been drinking, but of course what you do enjoy [about not drinking] is the bull*** that people come out with.”