National Forum

Croke Park expansion

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Replying To jobber:  "Both All Ireland hurling semi finals sold out 82300.
The All Ireland football quarter and semi finals also attracted huge crowds."
2 occasions it was soldout so...

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2557 - 29/10/2025 13:32:31    2642134

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Replying To KillingFields:  "Why refer to rugby degoratorily as rugger. you dont see many if any these days in ireland refer to it as that who follow the sport unless theyre doing it ironically. And it may come down line in time that GAA may want or have to convert the hill to to all seater"
How is it derogatory?

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2557 - 29/10/2025 13:33:11    2642136

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Replying To KillingFields:  "Why refer to rugby degoratorily as rugger. you dont see many if any these days in ireland refer to it as that who follow the sport unless theyre doing it ironically. And it may come down line in time that GAA may want or have to convert the hill to to all seater"
Seeing as the trend is away from all seated stadia why would the GAA want or have to put seats in the Hill?
2 terraces in both Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Páirc na nGael. Nobody looking for them to be seated.

Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 200 - 29/10/2025 13:39:31    2642139

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Replying To alalalalalum:  "In fairness you could hypothetically route the Dublin Sligo line to Heuston at a number of points e.g. Mullingar and at the Phoenix Park line junction"
If you were looking to waste even more money you could try that. How would that benefit people going to Croke Park?

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8319 - 29/10/2025 14:29:57    2642149

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Replying To GreenandRed:  "If you were looking to waste even more money you could try that. How would that benefit people going to Croke Park?"
And about 4 or 5 commuter stations affected as well

Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 200 - 29/10/2025 14:50:11    2642151

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Replying To GreenandRed:  "If you were looking to waste even more money you could try that. How would that benefit people going to Croke Park?"
Calm down there, I was saying to someone how it is possible to re route the Dublin Sligo line. Wouldn't be wasting money with the phoenix park line as it is already there. No benefit to people in Croke Park, cheers

alalalalalum (USA) - Posts: 55 - 29/10/2025 16:10:05    2642160

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Replying To alalalalalum:  "Calm down there, I was saying to someone how it is possible to re route the Dublin Sligo line. Wouldn't be wasting money with the phoenix park line as it is already there. No benefit to people in Croke Park, cheers"
The track reroute people are talking about is for the bit of track at the back of Hill 16 and Nally Stand if they thought it was feasible to roof that area or put two tiers there and roof it. There still needs to be a line for commuters to bring them direct to town from Enfield to Connolly.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8319 - 29/10/2025 16:21:51    2642161

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Section of train line could be moved underground or stand built over the train line/ canal. Quite simple engineering.

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4677 - 29/10/2025 17:49:10    2642170

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Replying To bad.monkey:  "Section of train line could be moved underground or stand built over the train line/ canal. Quite simple engineering."
Everything is simple when you have bucket loads of cash to do it.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 1572 - 29/10/2025 18:53:44    2642183

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Its not happening, plain and simple

WEXILE (Wexford) - Posts: 443 - 29/10/2025 19:36:06    2642185

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It should be happening. There is no reason why it cant be done. Gaa need to dig deep.

logger (Wexford) - Posts: 320 - 29/10/2025 20:18:13    2642189

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Replying To logger:  "It should be happening. There is no reason why it cant be done. Gaa need to dig deep."
Why should it be happening? Its a great stadium as is. Who says we all want a boring oval job?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17344 - 29/10/2025 20:37:31    2642190

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Replying To logger:  "It should be happening. There is no reason why it cant be done. Gaa need to dig deep."
Why should it be happening?

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8319 - 29/10/2025 22:53:46    2642197

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Replying To Seanfan:  "Seeing as the trend is away from all seated stadia why would the GAA want or have to put seats in the Hill?
2 terraces in both Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Páirc na nGael. Nobody looking for them to be seated."
what trend are you referring to

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3848 - 29/10/2025 23:07:16    2642199

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Replying To bad.monkey:  "Section of train line could be moved underground or stand built over the train line/ canal. Quite simple engineering."
The train line behind Hill 16 is higher than Canal end. Canal end line runs under Jones road and line behind Hill 16 runs overhead on Jones Road. Croke park does not own the ground directly behind Hill 16 either. There is a lane containing garages belonging to residents on St.Josephs avenue. If Hill 16 was to be raised to same height of the rest of Croke park it would put those residents in darkness. And those on Hill 16 side of Jones road back gardens in darkness. It will never be changed.

Chops (Westmeath) - Posts: 860 - 30/10/2025 18:50:51    2642291

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Replying To Chops:  "The train line behind Hill 16 is higher than Canal end. Canal end line runs under Jones road and line behind Hill 16 runs overhead on Jones Road. Croke park does not own the ground directly behind Hill 16 either. There is a lane containing garages belonging to residents on St.Josephs avenue. If Hill 16 was to be raised to same height of the rest of Croke park it would put those residents in darkness. And those on Hill 16 side of Jones road back gardens in darkness. It will never be changed."
Anyone who knows anything about Croke Park knows this but the fact you have to explain this speaks parables. If it ever happened, which it won't, at least 30 houses would have to be razed to the ground to allow enough space to allow people enter & exit safely from Clonliffe Road. The train line could not be moved without incurring billions of cost so the stand would need to be built around the train line. As for the stand, god knows what it would cost... possibly 150m+. And for what? The addition of, possibly another 10k capacity, which would only be ever used a handful of times a year? There's some amount of fantasists on this thread.

Square_B (Leitrim) - Posts: 1572 - 31/10/2025 07:16:22    2642319

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I hope somewhere in the GAA Administration machine there is at least some planning or thought process for what the next generation of Croke Park will be. While a great stadium when the most recent redevelopment was completed in the 2000s , it has become dated quickly when compared to modern stadia being rolled out elsewhere in the world.

While I don't think we need a lot of the shiny bells & whistles of some of those new stadia, some design thought needs to be put into the specific nuances of viewing our games i.e. bigger field and faster dynamics of hurling especially compared to other field sports.

While there's few places that match the experience of a full Croke park on All Ireland Final Sunday, my god it can be a dour experience if there's not at least 50,000 in it and lots of bad seats with poor views especially for hurling.

I get the historical importance of Hill 16 and some of the restrictions with Railway etc but it looks terrible. A foreign friend visiting Croke park for the first time once asked me was there a plan to "finish that end"

Hawkeye2 (Wicklow) - Posts: 177 - 31/10/2025 09:28:03    2642326

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Replying To Hawkeye2:  "I hope somewhere in the GAA Administration machine there is at least some planning or thought process for what the next generation of Croke Park will be. While a great stadium when the most recent redevelopment was completed in the 2000s , it has become dated quickly when compared to modern stadia being rolled out elsewhere in the world.

While I don't think we need a lot of the shiny bells & whistles of some of those new stadia, some design thought needs to be put into the specific nuances of viewing our games i.e. bigger field and faster dynamics of hurling especially compared to other field sports.

While there's few places that match the experience of a full Croke park on All Ireland Final Sunday, my god it can be a dour experience if there's not at least 50,000 in it and lots of bad seats with poor views especially for hurling.

I get the historical importance of Hill 16 and some of the restrictions with Railway etc but it looks terrible. A foreign friend visiting Croke park for the first time once asked me was there a plan to "finish that end""
There really isn't a historical importance to Hill 16 though, if there was it would be still called Hill 60 as it was up until the 1930s to honour Irish lads fighting for the British army in Turkey. It was a grass bank which eventually was concreted.

There is zero historical importance to this side of the ground, the Hogan Stand side probably has more history attached to it and sadly the Canal end where the bloody Sunday massacre was at its worst and where it began.

It was a master stroke to rename it Hill 16 by the GAA as it embraced nationalism etc at the right time and fed the mythology that rubble was used from the destruction of the city centre to build it.

It still however is an impressive sight when full and would be amazing to play in front of I'm sure if one was lucky enough to be that good.

As terraces go it is hard to beat the old Holte End at Villa Park, look at the pictures of that thing. 30,000 could fit in it apparently.

alalalalalum (USA) - Posts: 55 - 31/10/2025 10:24:21    2642333

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I get that many many people have the extreme opposite view to me on this, but I simply don't see and have never seen the attraction of terraces.

Why choose to stand for a couple of hours when you could sit instead?

People talk about "the atmosphere", but behaviour, conversation, etc., doesn't change significantly between sitting down and standing up. You can sing, chant, cheer, and make smart remarks every bit as well while sitting as when standing.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3178 - 31/10/2025 10:53:44    2642349

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "I get that many many people have the extreme opposite view to me on this, but I simply don't see and have never seen the attraction of terraces.

Why choose to stand for a couple of hours when you could sit instead?

People talk about "the atmosphere", but behaviour, conversation, etc., doesn't change significantly between sitting down and standing up. You can sing, chant, cheer, and make smart remarks every bit as well while sitting as when standing."
I take it you have never been on the terraces for a Munster final.

countyman2022 (Wexford) - Posts: 915 - 31/10/2025 11:36:49    2642360

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