THERE IS ALWAYS A KERRY CONNECTION: FOO FIGHTERS, FORMULA 1, AND THE SLEA HEAD RECON MISSION

THERE IS ALWAYS A KERRY CONNECTION: FOO FIGHTERS, FORMULA 1, AND THE SLEA HEAD RECON MISSION
The worlds of global rock royalty and motorsport collided in Dingle last weekend, as the Foo Fighters played a secret, intimate gig in the town..
While the sight of gear trucks outside the famous GAA haunt sparked a social media frenzy, the real story lies in a deep-rooted connection to the West Kerry landscape, a landscape better known to many of our readers as the iconic Slea Head rally stage.

The Slea Head Inspiration
The very existence of the Foo Fighters can be traced back to the narrow, winding roads of the Dingle Peninsula. Following the tragic death of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain in 1994, a grieving Dave Grohl retreated to Kerry to grieve and disappear.
While driving the remote coastal roads near Slea Head -the same tarmac that has tested the best in the Circuit of Kerry Rally – Grohl encountered a hitchhiker wearing a Kurt Cobain t-shirt.
For Grohl, it was the sign he needed to stop running from the past. He flew home to Seattle immediately to record the first Foo Fighters tracks.
The “Slea Head epiphany” is now a piece of rock history, and Saturday’s return to Dingle brought the story full circle.

The Formula 1 Link
The connection to the world of motorsport has only strengthened in recent months. Grohl is a known petrol-head with a particular affinity for motorbikes.

Grohl’s drumming featured on the track “Drive” by Ed Sheeran, a centrepiece of the soundtrack for the new Brad Pitt/Formula 1 movie, F1.
With the blockbuster currently hitting theatres, the timing of the Foo Fighters’ return to the very roads that inspired their formation provides a unique overlap between the world’s most famous racing series and the kingdom’s most famous driving roads.
The local rally community will appreciate the irony: while Hollywood spends millions to recreate the thrill of the chase on screen, the inspiration for one of the world’s biggest bands was found right here, while “winding around these country roads” in a rental car.

Hat tip to Kerry-based rally and music expert Mark Kane for the inside line on this one.

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