Minister stands firm on stadium row

November 29, 2006
Sports Minister John O'Donoghue has told Thomas Davis that they are fighting a losing battle in their bid to have GAA played at the proposed soccer-only stadium in Tallaght. Thomas Davis, along with five other southside GAA clubs, had objected to the development of the stadium as a soccer-only venue. Their request for a judicial review into the use of the stadium was postponed last Friday due a shortage of High Court judges. The review has been adjourned to December 14, but the Minister maintains that it will be Shamrocks Rovers who will be playing in the new stadium, and not any of the local GAA clubs. "The GAA can't be facilitated in the stadium - it is as simple as that," he said. "I don't know why they are persisting with it. They are simply holding up Shamrock Rovers from moving in, that's all that will come of any action. "It can go to a hearing but there will be no climbdown by the Government. "It is proposed to be the new home stadium for Shamrock Rovers and will have a capacity for 6,000 spectators. The stadium would need to be redesigned to accommodate Gaelic games," the Minister added. O'Donoghue said he cannot understand why Thomas Davis want to delay the development any further, especially as a 24-acre site has been made available to the GAA only a few miles away in Rathcoole by South Dublin County Council. "The GAA have their own site in Rathcoole and there are 24 acres there that are to be developed and I have said that I would help them with that but that's not enough for them."

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