A general view of the action during the 2025 UEFA Women's European Championship qualifying group A match between Republic of Ireland and France at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
By John Harrington
GAA President, Jarlath Burns, says the Association would be fully behind the idea of SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh being a potential venue for the five Euro 2028 games that were once scheduled for Casement Park.
“Obviously, we in the GAA would be very supportive of that,” said Burns today at a Hurling Development Committee media briefing that outlined plans for a new National Head of Hurling role.
“I have to give credit to the Tanaiste Michéal Martin and the Minister for Sport (Thomas Byrne) because I only mentioned it to Michéal Martin three days ago. It had been suggested to me by Kevin O’Donovan from Cork two months ago just to plant the seed.
“We know that Páirc Uí Chaoimh is open for all business and we would recommend as many games as possible to be in it.
“It’s great how quickly they’ve come out of the blocks but at the end of the day that’s a decision that will be made by UEFA but if we were asked to nominate a stadium for the games that were to be in Casement Park that they would definitely be in Páirc Ui Chaoimh in one of the most vibrant cities in the world, Corcaigh.
“I can’t speak for UEFA – it’s up to them – but the fact that the Tanaiste and the Minister for Sport came out very quickly in favour of it yesterday is very positive news for us. At the end of the day, it’s a decision for UEFA to make but we know exactly where we stand on that.”