FROM being headbutted at a house party in Tallaght in 2010 to receiving a hero's welcome from 80,000 fans at Slane on Saturday night, Harry Styles has definitely come a long way in Ireland.
It helps that the former One Directioner is now expert at charming his Irish fans: he plays the hits, old and new, he knows how to say a few key phrases as Gaelige - 'céad míle fáilte', 'conus atá tú?', 'slán leat’, 'agus go n-eirí an bóthar leat' - and he's only too happy to wrap himself in the national flag.
Harry with the Irish flag on stage at Slane Castle in Slane, Ireland - 10 June (via @tpwkcore_) pic.twitter.com/JST2woZvHk
— HSD Love On Tour (@hsdlot) June 11, 2023
As a result, social media has been awash with effusive praise from the moment he left the stage in Co Meath, with some fans already declaring the show - which also featured supporting turns from Wet Leg, Inhaler and Harry's sideman Mitch Rowland - to be their "gig of the year":
Gig of the year so far. There are no words #harrystyles left it all on the stage at @SlaneCastle for us. #harrystylesloveontour #slane pic.twitter.com/UGQLm8si7X
— Niamh Kelly (@KNiamh) June 11, 2023
Safe to say he deserved the gig at Slane, Harry that was epic #HarryStyles #Slane #LoveOnTourSlane pic.twitter.com/2sLdrLLnEg
— Claire Greaney (@skirteen) June 10, 2023
Fireworks during “Sign of the times” at Slane was icon ❤️ Harry Styles was class. I expected him to be class, but he was even more class than I thought he was gonna be. Class #LoveOnTour2023 pic.twitter.com/2EGw7YJHmy
— Kevin Hennessy (@khennessyphotos) June 11, 2023
This lad Harry Styles has a future in showbusiness #Slane2023 pic.twitter.com/nQhLO3l9UQ
— Ronan Mullen (@RonanReigns) June 10, 2023
Even opening act Inhaler, lead by son-of-Bono Elijah Hewson, also declared themselves overwhelmed by the response they received from the Harry Styles Slane crowd:
We’ll never be able to fully recover from the experience of playing Slane Castle yesterday.
— Inhaler (@InhalerDublin) June 11, 2023
Thank you to @Harry_Styles for having us open for him in such a legendary place. And to every one of you who sang our songs back to us.
See you in November, Ireland x
@lewsvans pic.twitter.com/nNNIVWXRjT
Hewson's mum and dad were at the show to watch their offspring carry on a proud family tradition of Slane appearances:
Hewson's at Slane:
— Simon Peyda Moore is #OpenToWork (@simonpeyda) June 11, 2023
1981 — U2 support Thin Lizzy
1984 — U2 records "The Unforgettable Fire". Bono joins Bob Dylan for "Blowin' In The Wind" (+ interview for Hot Press)
2001 — U2 are granted TWO(!) shows at Slane on the Elevation Tour.
2023 — Inhaler supports Harry Styles pic.twitter.com/4q4jZxfUnT
@niamhydevvy Special moment from yesterday — Lord Henry Mountcharles — the man behind all of the Slane concerts since '81 — insisted on saying hello to us despite not being in the best health. Loved how he swapped whiskey for tea for his meeting with #Bono! #slane #slanecastle #loveontourslane #harrystyles #harrystylesslane #inhaler ♬ Just To Keep You Satisfied - Inhaler
Harry Styles, Slane Castle, 2023. pic.twitter.com/mM4GingYoy
— harry pics (@thestylesfandom) June 11, 2023
As they watched Harry perform, some fans began to note how some of his on-stage poses and outfits reminded them of a previous iconic Slane headliner...
Freddie Mercury Harry Styles
— duda²⁸ | the show (@wallstyl3s) June 11, 2023
1986 2023 pic.twitter.com/9r0JnUkIk5
OH MY GOD THIS IS SO IRELAND AND FREDDIE CODED AT THE SAME TIME #HarryStyles pic.twitter.com/8DgObxqifW
— louhomies♡ SAW HARRY heard fine line (@louhomies91) June 10, 2023
Harry Styles at Slane Castle 2023
— ️ConsultingSithLordin Harry's House ✨️ (@juisharryera) June 11, 2023
Freddie Mercury at Slane Castle 1986 pic.twitter.com/K0aPp6Tqlh
But of course, as any seasoned pop performer knows, you can never please all of the people all of the time: there were also a minority of nay-sayers offering their hot takes on the Slane show:
Echo this. Dreadful show at #Slane tonite. Tame Impala Lite which is #HarryStyles sound isn't suitable for that venue. Disappointed in the set also. And what was the two minutes of black screen and silence? I left early and drove home listening to Saxon to block it all out. https://t.co/gws5wLoSxq
— @MsMacAvoy (@MsMacAvoy) June 10, 2023
And let's spare a thought for the parents who missed out on seeing Harry in order to provide taxi services for their offspring:
Love is…. Waiting for your child in the city centre at 1.50am after #harrystyles in #Slane pic.twitter.com/e68L2n104v
— Wendy Dowling (@DowlingWendy) June 11, 2023
Left the house at 12 this morning to taxi the young one to Harry Styles. I'm only in through the door home now G'night you lot X Sweet dreams
— ☘️Olivia ☘️ (@just_liv80) June 11, 2023
However, if you weren't able to be there yourself, don't worry: it seems you can easily get caught up with what happened over on the Tik-Tok courtesy of Jedward and thousands of others...
I’ve now watched that entire Harry Styles gig because it’s on TikTok #HSLOT #Slane
— Anna Heverin (@annaheverin) June 11, 2023
@jepictiktok Harry slaying slane #harrystyles #jedward ♬ original sound - JedwardTiktok