Murphy insists Fitzgerald behind redevelopment

Cork county board secretary Frank Murphy last night insisted that Munster Council secretary Pat Fitzgerald was misquoted in recent reports that stated he had questioned the need to redevelop Páirc Uí Chaoimh as an all-seater high-capacity stadium.

It had been reported that in Fitzgerald’s annual address to the recent Munster Convention, the secretary had stated that with three grounds in the province already holding over 40,000 spectators, the redevelopment of the Cork grounds was redundant. However, Murphy responded to a query from a delegate at last night’s meeting of the Cork County Board by stating the secretary was always supportive of the board’s plan to redevelop the stadium.

“The secretary of the Munster Council was completely misquoted in this regard. I cannot understand how those comments were misinterpreted. The secretary has always been completely supportive of the stadium redevelopment.”