Croke Park won’t take on Galway land

GALWAY’S hopes of Croke Park taking ownership of more than 100 acres of land that had been bought for an €8m training centre, which has now been abandoned, look set to be dashed.

Officials in Galway contacted GAA headquarters asking them to take possession of the land near Athenry and dispose of it to offset a debt of €2.7m.

Galway hurling board paid €2.8m for 102 acres at the height of the Celtic Tiger and have since paid €535,000 towards the project, the majority of which was on interest.

Planning permission was granted in 2008 for the development at Mountain South, close to the new M6 motorway near Athenry which included six pitches, one of them an all-weather floodlit facility, dressing rooms, gymnasiums, meeting rooms, hurling walls and ancillary facilities.

The €2.8m for the land purchase was borrowed from the GAA and Galway County Board contacted Croke Park recently requesting assistance as they can no longer proceed with the plan or deal with the debt.

It was proposed to Croke Park that they take ownership of the land and sell it when the economic climate is more favourable.

However, the director general of the GAA, Paraic Duffy, has knocked that on the head, in a letter he sent to Galway County Board following their application for help: “We are not in a position as of yet to give a detailed response to your request for financial assistance. However I do not envisage options of Croke Park taking possession of Mountain South will be any part of assistance that might be given.”

County board treasurer Bernie O’Connor said Duffy had proposed a meeting with Galway County Board officials early in January.