Croke park
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Hello all
Can anyone tell me what is happening with Croke Parks development. Although I cannot bring myself to believe that it is now considered finished – with only three stands?, even the Offical Croke Park website make no references to a fourth stand.
Please don’t tell me that its only going to be a three sided stadium. It will be just too ludicrous to explain to my Aussie colleagues.
JohnThe Hill is being rebuilt at the moment, to half height. I don’t think there’s enough room to build a full stand, given that the pitch had to be rotated by about 15 degrees to fit the new Canal End in – remember that the West side of the old hill was only about 5 rows deep. It’s not a bad design though – the open end lets in light, but since it’s not facing South there’s much less chance of a team playing in to the sun.
Here’s a model of the completed stadium….there is not enough room to develop a 4th stand due to the close proximity of the railway line.
What an aesthetic eyesore. The GAA executives who approved this design must wear wellington boots with their armani suits.
Surely it is going to be a great Irish joke amongst the world wide sporting community. I thought “Paddy” had been eaten by the Celtic tiger but it goes to show you can’t keep a Gombeen down.Paul
Maybe you’re right but I would appreciate it if you would give me some examples of U-shaped football stadiums. Irish people abroad are ambassadors and as such are called upon from time to time to counter the inevitable Irish jokes and gibes. More importantly I don’t think people who have never lived abroad ( for significant periods of time that is ) appreciate how important a countrys image is to prospective investors. Large scale projects like Croke park reflect the character and ability of the whole country, not just the GAA or the architect who designed it. Thats why countries vie so competitively for Olympics and World Cups etc.
Thanksbut aspillj its a fabulous stadium, when i lived abroad i was for ever showing off about it, people are always thinking that gaa sports are a folk activity like croquet or that indian game where you hold your breath and its great to be able to point out the high standard it is played at, the overwhelming popularity of the irish sports and the quality of croke park. the U-shaped design is a consequence of its urban location, which is one of the best things about it. it looks great from inside and out. if only we had a horse track so centrally located.
by the way, i apologise if it turns out that that indian game is actually second only to cricket in south asia and played in a magnificant stadium by highly trained athletes.
aspillj – I think you’re well off the boil on this one !
Remember the Special Olympics opening ceremony at Croke Park ??? did that not make you proud to be an Irish person living abroad like it did with me ? if it didn’t ……..
Anybody who saw that, including my foriegn friends, were amazed about Croke Park. They thought it was massive. The open end gave a perfect backdrop to the stage.
Twickenham is another (no where near as good) horse shoe shaped stadium like Croke Park.
Despite only being full-height on three sides, Croke Park is still one of the largest stadia in Europe – bigger than anything in the UK.
A capacity of 80,000 when complete…..imagine had a fourth stand been built …the capacity would have exceeded 100,000 I’m sure. What a leviathan of a ground.
Originally posted by FIN
they should have built it though and either diverted the track or built around it..And where exactly would they divert the track to? Also to close the Maynooth line, the only bi directional rush hour line in the country to facilitate a head in the sand like organisation like the GAA?
stranger things have happened. if it’s for the greater good then it will turn out to be worth it in the end.
eh, couldn’t they build some kind of underpass for the train, like the one on the dart at landsdowne! That said i’ve no problem with 3 sides.
exactly. and i have no problem with the 3 sides either but just saying it would be nice if the finished it off
You make it sound like it unfinished – just ending with bits of concrete reinforcing rod sticking into space…. people remember that it was designed as a three sided arena – so it is finished and I think it looks very good… so to say “i wish they would finish it” is misleading to say the least…
also there is a school of thought that open at one end arenas get better grass growing conditions that completely enclosed grounds….
to me it’s unfinished i have to be honest. although i don’t know about it being designed as 3 sides as the roof profile changes when u move from the orginal cusack to the canal end. maybe it was and that’s intentinal but i can’t see the reason for it. i was hoping that they would do the nally as an extension of the hogan but it all seems to be going into the hill from what i could see on tv and from greg’s pics.
u do have a good point on the grass as cardiff is having major problems along with a lot of premeirship clubs.
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