Garth Brooks: Ireland’s love affair with the country music superstar

Butler says he thinks the reason Garth Brooks remains so enduringly popular in Ireland is because the people here identify so strongly with his songs.

“Everybody loves Friends In Low Places, people of Ireland love it, they love Callin’ Baton Rouge.

“I speak to a lot of people after I play the shows and a lot of people identify with some of the words in the songs, they tell me about a relative that’s passed and they seem to have some kind of identification with the songs Tomorrow Never Comes or Unanswered Prayers – it talks about love and about how Garth feels.

“And in amongst Thunder Rolls and the big hits that Garth has, he sings big rocky country rock and ballads, so it’s exciting and it’s sad – it’s an emotional roller coaster,” he said.

“And he’s such a down-to-earth, genuine, caring person, he seems to be a good soul and I think people people identify with his personality.

“It’s a big working-class country and they love someone that’s genuine and that talks from the heart.”