Home to the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Croke Park has been at the heart of Irish sporting life for over a hundred years. Boasting a capacity for 82,300 people, the stadium is the 4th largest in Europe and is a carbon neutral venue.
In 2010, Croke Park became the first stadium in the world to receive the BS 8901 certification for sustainable event management and in 2012, Croke Park achieved another world’s first for sustainable event management receiving the 1SO 20121 standard.
Croke Park is home to legends, champions and heroes and when it comes to stirring the soul, no other venue in Ireland comes close. Croke Park has welcomed its fair share of well known visitors over the years including most recently Xi Jing Ping, the Vice President of the People’s Republic of China. He was treated to a demonstration of Gaelic games, Gaelic football and hurling, on the Croke Park pitch. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Croke Park on 18th May 2011, as part of their first state visit to Ireland. Obama even had a go of pucking a sliotar with a hurley on his visit to Ireland in May 2011...he wasn’t too bad at it either!
Interesting Croke Park facts:
Helmets only became compulsory in 2009, previously, most players wore no face guard or protection (ouch!). The Nally/Dineen Hill 16 terrace houses the biggest outdoor screen in Europe. The pitch size is over twice the size of a standard football (soccer) pitch. You can test your own skills during the interactive museum tours. The Davin Bar on level five is the largest bar in Ireland, with 400 beer taps. The first finals played at Croke Park took place in March 1896. Croke Park holds the world record for largest attendance at a club rugby union match of over 81,000
Croke Park is not only home to Gaelic games, it has an extensive G.A.A museum, a new rooftop sightseeing tour Etihad Skyline, a superb stadium tour and a world class conference centre.
For tourist packages, conference centre and museum, please see website.
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