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Best and worst grounds

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Replying To Live_Wire: "i know its a bit off subject. Why couldn't sky erect the tv camera at the opposite side of paric i chaoimh and showcase the 2 tier stand? It looked and felt like the old stadium. will rte do the same tomorrow ?" The cameras are there to show the game, not the ground. Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2742 - 22/07/2017 23:40:56 2021340 Link
Replying To SaffronDon: "has to be Antrim's 'acting' home venue, Corrigan Park. Was home to county games way back in the 40s and 50s but at least it had a stand back then. all it has now is grass banks and a fantastic view of the Ballymurphy estate. I despair if Casement falls through!" was there for limerick v antrim qualifier last year and i actually liked it and enjoyed the stroll up falls road and ballymurphy estate was in casement for antrim v limerick hurling in 2005 janesboro (Limerick) - Posts: 1502 - 23/07/2017 01:33:05 2021388 Link
gaelic grounds is fine stadium, but toilets need immediate sanitary work thurles brilliant too and is so accessible for parking janesboro (Limerick) - Posts: 1502 - 23/07/2017 01:33:57 2021389 Link
Replying To ZUL10: "I was really impressed with Pairc ui Caoimbh today. Its Croke Park standard inside and out but really contains the atmosphere. Pity about the location." I think PUC is Disappointing. Bog standard geometric Stadium design. Absolutely no innovation or individualism. Most of it is the same as the old design from the 70s. Could have gotten a better architect surely. Seems like a stadium that would only be build in Ireland these days. Aviva and thomond park are the best stadiums in Ireland design wise. blackspot91 (Limerick) - Posts: 1055 - 23/07/2017 07:37:05 2021426 Link
Ollie'a right l'm afraid Drogheda is the worst county pitch I have been at. I really like the Athletic Grounds now and the changes at Croke Park are fantastic. Byanthon (Tyrone) - Posts: 1792 - 23/07/2017 08:38:50 2021440 Link
Replying To blackspot91: "I think PUC is Disappointing. Bog standard geometric Stadium design. Absolutely no innovation or individualism. Most of it is the same as the old design from the 70s. Could have gotten a better architect surely. Seems like a stadium that would only be build in Ireland these days. Aviva and thomond park are the best stadiums in Ireland design wise." Have you been there blackspot or are you looking at pictures? I couldnt agree less with you. ZUL10 (Clare) - Posts: 708 - 23/07/2017 11:41:08 2021584 Link
Replying To blackspot91: "I think PUC is Disappointing. Bog standard geometric Stadium design. Absolutely no innovation or individualism. Most of it is the same as the old design from the 70s. Could have gotten a better architect surely. Seems like a stadium that would only be build in Ireland these days. Aviva and thomond park are the best stadiums in Ireland design wise." Would agree other then the tiered stand it seems a waste spending 85m plus on a pretty bog standard county ground. That is even before you consider the poor location and lack of need of a 45k stadium down there ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 23/07/2017 11:55:56 2021598 Link
Croker is number 1 and Thurles has improved a lot in terms of parking in recent years. Clones, Ennis, PUC are desperate places to get out of.... Tullamore is a great spot to watch a game as is O'Moore Park and Nowlan Park and Wexford Park is really good with their new stand too. Navan is not great and I ma looking forward to going to PUC. Mullingar has a tiny but intimate stand - parking is brutal there... Walsh Park is the poor relation in Munster however with Fitzgerald Stadium a lovely venue. Overall we have great stadia. It would be really terrific to have a stadium outside of Dublin which had a 50,000 capacity for matches that we could get home early from and not be stuck in traffic for hours. It is the worst thing about going to most venues. carlowman (Carlow) - Posts: 1875 - 23/07/2017 13:02:46 2021655 Link
Replying To Byanthon: "Ollie'a right l'm afraid Drogheda is the worst county pitch I have been at. I really like the Athletic Grounds now and the changes at Croke Park are fantastic." What changes have been made at Croke Park? In my opinion for all the hype it's a poorly designed ground. Views from the lower tiers are dreadful due to seats not being steep enough and all seats parallel at the sides with the pitch which is really poor and compares very unfavourably with stadiums of a similar age e.g. Principality stadium. Less said about the Hill the better, it's just a dreadful eyesore. The lower Davin an awful place to try watch a match, should be terraced in my view or else elevated and made much steeper. The fact that close to half the attendance gets wet if it rains underlines how poor it is in my view. Onion Breath (Carlow) - Posts: 1555 - 23/07/2017 16:37:29 2021828 Link
Replying To ZUL10: "Have you been there blackspot or are you looking at pictures? I couldnt agree less with you." im talking about the design so pictures are enough. Im sure the facilities are great as youd expect from a new building. But theres nothing to the design. just generic square stands and sweeping terracing. give your opinion if you disagree blackspot91 (Limerick) - Posts: 1055 - 23/07/2017 18:01:05 2021895 Link
Always liked Thurles Worst is Drogheda & Navan county man (Limerick) - Posts: 1139 - 23/07/2017 19:34:38 2021974 Link
Replying To janesboro: "was there for limerick v antrim qualifier last year and i actually liked it and enjoyed the stroll up falls road and ballymurphy estate was in casement for antrim v limerick hurling in 2005" Its no county ground janesboro. there's a bit of a history walk from the falls no doubt but the ground itself is just before the Ballymurphy estate and its a bit of a no go zone. The Corrigan park club house was raided and set on fire a few years back and someone even hijacked a digger and managed to vandalise the pitch with it. I think the club hired a night security person things were that bad. SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2558 - 23/07/2017 20:03:26 2021994 Link
Replying To lilywhite1: "While St. Conleth's Park has poor facilities and inadaquate dressing rooms, the pitch has always been regarded as excellent. This was confirmed recently when it came second place to Thurles in the inaugural best pitch catagory recently. St Conleth's also recently was granted planning permission for a major upgrade to take places over two phases to include a new all seater Stand and widening of the pitch, new dressingrooms and Clubhouse. Pairc Tailteann is in the early stages of applying for re development, with the Meath County board begining the process of undergoing a consultancy report." The surface in Newbridge is excellent but after that its a shambles. The pitch is feels like it was built on an old battle ground with bumps and ridges here there and everywhere. There is almost a drumlin present at the corner flag near the dressing rooms. Also one end of the pitch is wider than the other. The dressing rooms feel like something out of a Jonathan Swift novel. Navan, Enniskillen and Celtic Park also have obvious hills which give each end a moniker of being a scoring end......handy to know for in game gamblers.... Drogheda is like something out of game of thrones..... sportsfan14 (USA) - Posts: 281 - 23/07/2017 20:12:25 2022003 Link
Cusack Park Ennis is a lovely little ground but it's not for for more than 10 000 max..and I mean max. The newly renovated stand is awful. They must have got the seating from the old Pairc Ui Chaoimh . Yeah I'd agree that the new Cork Athletic grounds is disappointing to look at. Very Soviet unionesque to the eye. bloodyban (Limerick) - Posts: 1710 - 23/07/2017 20:36:50 2022022 Link
Croke Park is the best stadium. The pitches in Thurles, Gaelic Grounds-Limerick & Fitzgerald stadium Killarney are excellent. fainleog (Limerick) - Posts: 602 - 23/07/2017 20:52:05 2022036 Link
Replying To SecretsOfFatima: "Fitzgerald Stadium is a joke - no lights, no clock, an old scoreboard that is frequently displaying the wrong digits and poor toilets, to name but a few things." The Hermits eyesight may be not that good , or maybe he does not go near the toilets!. When someone talks about grounds, the most important aspect is the pitch - a good stand with a swamp is pretty useless. Hermit do you think that Cork would have got a fine pitch without millions from central GAA - I don't think so. Now I have no concerns about the 'real capital of Ireland' getting g a fine facility . Tullamore is an example of quite a good stand but a poor winter time pitch. browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 23/07/2017 21:04:36 2022043 Link
Replying To sportsfan14: "The surface in Newbridge is excellent but after that its a shambles. The pitch is feels like it was built on an old battle ground with bumps and ridges here there and everywhere. There is almost a drumlin present at the corner flag near the dressing rooms. Also one end of the pitch is wider than the other. The dressing rooms feel like something out of a Jonathan Swift novel. Navan, Enniskillen and Celtic Park also have obvious hills which give each end a moniker of being a scoring end......handy to know for in game gamblers.... Drogheda is like something out of game of thrones....." You obviously aren't a credible judge of pitches considering St. Conleth's was judged runner up to Semple as the best pitch in the country. I presume that's the corners, both ends, the whole lot! Facilities aren't good but extensive renovations are in the pipeline for the ground as a whole, but don't down grade what is an excellent pitch. Have to cut you some slack though seeing as you are viewing things from the 'USA'! kildare73 (Kildare) - Posts: 854 - 23/07/2017 22:10:08 2022099 Link
Replying To carlowman: "Croker is number 1 and Thurles has improved a lot in terms of parking in recent years. Clones, Ennis, PUC are desperate places to get out of.... Tullamore is a great spot to watch a game as is O'Moore Park and Nowlan Park and Wexford Park is really good with their new stand too. Navan is not great and I ma looking forward to going to PUC. Mullingar has a tiny but intimate stand - parking is brutal there... Walsh Park is the poor relation in Munster however with Fitzgerald Stadium a lovely venue. Overall we have great stadia. It would be really terrific to have a stadium outside of Dublin which had a 50,000 capacity for matches that we could get home early from and not be stuck in traffic for hours. It is the worst thing about going to most venues." Parking isn't that bad in Mullingar especially on a Sunday. There's 4 large car parks within 5 minutes walk of Cusack Park including one on the Tullamore/Carlow side. There's worse towns for match day parking. Jack_Sparrow (Westmeath) - Posts: 1037 - 23/07/2017 23:24:11 2022158 Link
Replying To Jack_Sparrow: "Parking isn't that bad in Mullingar especially on a Sunday. There's 4 large car parks within 5 minutes walk of Cusack Park including one on the Tullamore/Carlow side. There's worse towns for match day parking." like Salthill! valley84 (Westmeath) - Posts: 1903 - 23/07/2017 23:32:44 2022165 Link
Replying To browncows: "The Hermits eyesight may be not that good , or maybe he does not go near the toilets!. When someone talks about grounds, the most important aspect is the pitch - a good stand with a swamp is pretty useless. Hermit do you think that Cork would have got a fine pitch without millions from central GAA - I don't think so. Now I have no concerns about the 'real capital of Ireland' getting g a fine facility . Tullamore is an example of quite a good stand but a poor winter time pitch." I'll take Fitzgerald and Austin Stacks any day over what Meath put up with, you might think a pitch is what supporters care about in a ground but I'm pretty sure they are thinking of other things like I dunno, a decent view, a decent seat, shelter from the elements, ease of access, location, toilets etc etc etc. Any way whenever they get around to doing up Navan I'm sure I'll see you on the 6:01 News chained to the old stand shouting "you shall not pass" :D TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 23/07/2017 23:35:45 2022168 Link