Killarney looks to have won battle for proposed GAA museum
Senior GAA administrators in the county have revealed that Killarney is the preferred choice for the proposed museum, despite a strong claim from the county town of Tralee which is the administrative capital of the GAA in the county.
Both towns, which have competed for other services and facilities in the past, had actively pitched for the GAA museum but it has now emerged that Killarney is the chosen location.
The matter was discussed at length by the Kerry County Board executive this week and a well-placed source confirmed afterwards that the location for the centre would almost certainly be Killarney’s Fitzgerald Stadium.
“Money is the big question. If we can afford to go ahead with it then we will.
“Killarney is the obvious choice given the visitor numbers it attracts each year with up to 30,000 people passing through at any one time. If we build this centre, it will have to be profitable and the best chance of that happening is in Killarney,” the source said.
Board chairman Jerome Conway was reluctant to be drawn on the issue but he too indicated that an under-used training pitch adjacent to the main playing field at Fitzgerald Stadium would be a good location for the museum.
It is understood that a sub-committee will be established to explore and cost the museum proposal and to determine what, if any, grant aid would be available for the project.
The idea of opening a GAA museum in Killarney was first mooted by Killarney councillor and double All-Ireland winner Michael Gleeson, who said it would be a great attraction in the busy tourist town.
Mr Gleeson said it would provide an important centre of information for those anxious to learn more about the history and development of the association in the county and proposed the museum be developed in association with Croke Park officials.
There was an air of reluctant acceptance in Tralee yesterday with those who had supported the local campaign to secure the museum for the town expressing disappointment that their case wasn’t adequately heard.
“It’s a shame that we didn’t get the opportunity to put the case forward for Tralee,” said Cllr Johnny Wall who spearheaded the local campaign.
Tralee Town Council wanted to have the facility provided in the Kerry County Museum at the Ashe Memorial Hall.
Tralee campaigners pointed out that as well as housing the offices of the Kerry County Board, the town’s Austin Stack Park was also the official county grounds for Kerry.
But Killarney is the undisputed spiritual home of the GAA, with Fitzgerald Stadium regarded as one of the finest and most spectacular stadia in the country.
It is understood the museum, if it proceeds, would house GAA memorabilia such as cups, trophies and medals, jerseys worn by current and former inter-county stars, photographic exhibitions spanning several decades, old programmes and newspaper archives, historical documents and audio-video footage from major games and GAA events.
There has also been a suggestion that Kerry GAA legends could conduct visitor tours of the museum on the weekends of big games, such as the Munster football final.
