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Docklands regeneration will give Cork a new stadium GAA
fans in Munster will get one of the biggest sports stadiums in Europe
if proposals for a 60,000-seat replacement for Cork’s Páirc
Uí Chaoimh get the blessing of civic leaders.
Cork County GAA Board has revealed plans for a new stadium to rival Dublin’s
82,300-seat Croke Park.
Under the redevelopment of Cork’s docklands Páirc Uí
Chaoimh will become a sports and concert venue with a 40 per cent increase
in capacity to 60,000.
The extra seating will put the venue on a par with Glasgow Celtic FC’s
Parkhead ground, Liverpool FC’s proposed new stadium and Arsenal’s
Emirates base in London.
Outside Ireland, only grounds such as Manchester United’s Old Trafford
(76,212 seats), London’s Wembley (90,000) and Paris’s Stade
de France (80,000) have a higher capacity in Europe.
If approved by the city council’s planners and leaders Páirc
Uí Chaoimh will also get an ancillary all-weather pitch as well
as a 400-space car park and a dining facility.
GAA spokesman Fergal McGill said a revamped Páirc Uí Chaoimh
would be a great flagship for Gaelic games in Cork and Munster and beyond.
He said: “Cork is one of the most progressive counties within the
association while the standard of hurling and football is something that
can only be admired at a distance by most counties.
“Cork set a template for others to follow so it’s no surprise
that these plans are so ambitious. The city is the second largest in the
southern part of Ireland so it’s important the GAA has an impressive
presence in Cork.”
Páirc Uí Chaoimh was built during the 1970s and was considered
one of the GAA’s flagship stadiums at the time.
But the GAA said the stadium was now in need of redevelopment. |
