GAA talks with Dublin archdiocese over stadium

The GAA held talks with the Archdiocese of Dublin to discuss the possibility of acquiring land for a new stadium in the city.

It is believed that the talks related to a proposed 30,000-seater stadium which would accommodate sports and other entertainment events. The talks took place some months ago and may now have ground to a halt because of the economic slowdown.

The archdiocese is reviewing options for the development of its land in the Clonliffe Road area close to Croke Park. A spokeswoman said that no talks were taking place with the GAA, but would not comment on whether or not talks had taken place with the GAA in the past number of months.

‘‘There is an ongoing consultation process regarding the use of the grounds of Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, which has been under way for some time,” she said.

‘‘Any proposals will have to go through a rigorous process of consultation which would include the diocesan finance committee and the college of consulters.”

A spokesman for the GAA said that he wasn’t aware of such discussions and that he couldn’t find a record of such talks. ‘‘No proposals for any development of diocesan land have ever been approved by our management committee,” he said.

However, it is understood that talks took place at a preliminary level and that the potential of using the stadium for Dublin GAA games was explored. Dublin play at Parnell Park at present; the possibility of creating a more modern stadium for the county is one of the options understood to have been explored.

The GAA is well financed and the archdiocese may want to realise some value from its land without selling it to a property developer, which could be seen as a purely commercial decision. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin ordered a review of development options for land on Clonliffe Road several months ago.

The spokeswoman said: ‘‘The key focus of that process is the development of a diocesan pastoral centre, which would have at its heart facilities for use by parish and diocesan groups and accommodation for the Mater Dei Institute.

‘‘There are no plans to sell or change the use of Archbishop’s House and it is currently envisaged that Mater Dei’s requirements could be incorporated into any development of Holy Cross College,” she added.

Sunday Business Post

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