Ok folks,followin on from the post below about best towns for a game,what is your favorite/least favorite ground for big championship games?

kimbap (Mayo) - Posts: 81 - 18/04/2008 17:25:50    8695

favourite - Ballybofey / croke park / Omagh
Least Favourite - Clones

Legend92 (Donegal) - Posts: 752 - 19/04/2008 15:30:03    8814

Legend 92, Balllybofey could hardlly be classified as a 'stadium' now could it??! You could fit more into Daniel O'Donnells house for a cuppa tae!

monaghan lad (Monaghan) - Posts: 19 - 19/04/2008 16:15:42    8821

Ballybofey is the worst - a disgraceful county ground.

BlaBlaBla (Donegal) - Posts: 104 - 19/04/2008 16:15:58    8822

its funny a lot of nothern posters don't like clones for games,i've only been there once and though it was an excellent ground.However this was for a schools game years ago,i heard its very difficult to get in and out of on match days,still very nice stadium in my opinion.Personally i like pearse stadium in salthill and the gaelic grounds in limerick (outside of croker of course) I'm very much lookin forward to seein the new 41000 mchale park and the new pairc ui choaimhe if they ever get built!!

kimbap (Mayo) - Posts: 81 - 19/04/2008 16:29:48    8826

as a louth fan its a disgrace that louth has proabably the worst county ground in the country.no matter if its in drogheda,dundalk or ardee.dundalk is by far the worse out of the three.
my favourite ground without doubt is croke park.my least favourite is navan not because of the stadium but its louths graveyard.louth have suffered many a defeat out in parc tailteann.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 19/04/2008 17:16:15    8831

i just answered the question monaghan lad, it held up fine for Armagh v Donegal, it mightnt be the biggest but it is in Donegal and for one like myself whos been to many a game ive always had great craic there! :)

Legend92 (Donegal) - Posts: 752 - 19/04/2008 18:33:30    8843

Clones, Omagh, Newry and Croke Park would be my favourites. Breffni Park is also fairly decent.

Maguire01 (Monaghan) - Posts: 226 - 19/04/2008 19:13:56    8850

In my own opinion clones is a great venue!!! Apart from the traffic but for atmosphere its hard to beat! Ulster final day is brillant with the people packed into fermanagh street and the pitch only five minute walk from town centre!!! As a player the pitch leaves a lot to be desired as its too soft when wet and rock hard!!! other than that it's class ask any genuine ulster gaa fan they would rather the ulster final in clones than croker!!! It was great to see it back home last year!

shaggylegend (Monaghan) - Posts: 1948 - 19/04/2008 21:18:44    8863

the best by far is killarney,great day out assured there.
worst must be gaelic grounds in limerick.

broken arrow (Limerick) - Posts: 104 - 19/04/2008 21:46:18    8873

FACTS: Casement is soul-less and hasn't the capacity that Clones has, Omagh's got a lot going for it but it's too small capacity-wise. Casement: the conveniences of the city are negated by the poor/non existant public transport to the ground on match days. Getting off the M1 is a nightmare. Breiffne is smaller than Clones, and it has poor access to the ground at League games, never mind the championship.

While there may be downsides to Clones the pluses outweigh the minuses and make it the best venue in Ulster. Other venues don't merit a mention, cause they're not up to it on many levels, when it comes to the demands of supporters going to a final or semi-finals.

YES: If Derry are playing Down it makes sense to play the game in Casement, if they meet before the final. HYPOTHETICAL: The draw dictates that they won't meet, unless they make it to a final.

DERRY HEAD: The Derry man who's giving out about Clones, cause of its inaccessibility, needs to come to terms with the fact that Derry, south or north, is peripheral to the rest of Ulster. Just 'cause south Derry's a lock of miles down the motorway to Belfast, in the east of the province, doesn't make Casement the best choice for the rest of us.

BELFAST: See the bigger picture, look to other sources for your opinions on matters GAA than the Belfast based Irish News, with Derry GAA columnists, who've concistently argued for Casement over Clones, over the years. Surprise surprise, it being a Belfast based paper.

GEOGRAPHY: There's nine counties in Ulster, and it stretches from Inishowen (Donegal) in the north to Virginia (Cavan) in the south.

As I've said before I'm happy to go anywhere in Ulster to support my county, so long as the venue can accommodate me and others from Monaghan that want to go, as well as those from the opposition county. There aren't many counties in Ulster with the small number of supporters that Derry has. I don't mean that as a slag. I have great respect for Derry's achievements over recent years and in no way want to seem negative.

However, in terms of Ulster venue Clones is the pick of the bunch.

babser (Monaghan) - Posts: 103 - 19/04/2008 22:25:36    8877

Best: Croke Park or Pearse Stadium

Worst: Breffni Park or Celtic Park(Derry)

swinford2008 (Mayo) - Posts: 163 - 20/04/2008 12:20:19    8931

Best: Croke Park, Clones & Healy Park(omagh)
Worse: Celtic park & Casement

updoire93 (Derry) - Posts: 8 - 20/04/2008 13:00:03    8938

BEST HQ IN DUBLIN IE CROKE PARK
WORST PARNELL PARK DUBLIN

on the fence (Donegal) - Posts: 731 - 20/04/2008 18:49:40    8999

ballybofey hands down its terrible

brett favre (Sligo) - Posts: 659 - 20/04/2008 22:07:30    9089

any particular reason Brett?

Legend92 (Donegal) - Posts: 752 - 20/04/2008 22:16:08    9098

Croke Park would certainly be number 1,coming a close second would be Clones,great for the atmosphere alone,although traffic can be a nightmare.

sean og (Armagh) - Posts: 1072 - 21/04/2008 09:33:56    9193

the best will be mayos ground when its finally finished, the worst is for location salthill- its suits absolutely noone except a few from commemara- a true gaa materpiece absolutely no thinking involved, the weirdest is the gaelic grounds in limerick, this place has taken the term white elephant to a new level was it ever nearly half full- should have being sold to munster a long time ago

ball-boy (Mayo) - Posts: 4211 - 21/04/2008 12:28:57    9339

We know yous have a particular TD who tried to sell out our language doesnt mean Limerick people have to be sell outs too ball boy.

Favourite Stadiums

Croker (speaks for itself)
Casement (has the potential to be a brilliant venue if the Antrim supporters filled it every now and then)
Parnell (Have been here twice good atmosphere very hospitable officials etc Watched Antrim v Dublin (hurling) play out a draw brilliant game)

Worst Stadiums

Clones (totally rediculous location also unless your blocked in the street you wont fit in)
Breffni (just dont like the place and again location)
Ennis (just didnt like the place)

Ive never been to parc ui caoimhe or semple so i cant comment on them although they look superb hope to be down this year for my first ever munster hurling final and after yesterday i cant wait.

North Side Gael (None) - Posts: 1076 - 21/04/2008 12:47:06    9373

The best has to be Kerry's home ground ie, Croke Park. Worst has to be Pairc Ui Caoimh.

Real Kerry Fan (None) - Posts: 2957 - 21/04/2008 14:01:34    9463