Ryan says no strings attached to Páirc Uí Chaoimh grant aid

The government allocation of grant-aid towards the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh is not coming with any strings attached, according to Cork County Board chairman Bob Ryan pictured.

It was announced on Tuesday that approximately €30m of the €70m or so required to regenerate the stadium would come from the government. While a redeveloped Páirc Uí Chaoimh is likely to be used if Ireland host the 2023 Rugby World Cup, it had been decided in advance no other conditions applied to the grant.

“There’s nothing else that I’m aware of,” Ryan said.

“The use of the stadium for the Rugby World Cup was already on the table and we didn’t have to agree to any special terms or conditions.

“The one thing which we did undertake was to ensure that the project would provide employment to people in the immediate local area and we will do that.”

The finalisation of the grant came about after 18 months of consultation between the county board and various politicians, with Ryan praising the reaction from them.

“We have had meetings with the Taoiseach, the Tanáiste and government deputies from Cork such as Minister Simon Coveney, going back about a year and a half,” he said.

“It took a lot of patience but they were always very positive. They realised the necessity of the project, the stadium obviously needs a lot of upgrading and to take it on will provide a huge amount of jobs during the construction period.

“It will also kick-start the development of the area around the stadium, which should be a wonderful amenity when it’s finished.”

With the government money on board, it lessens the burden on the county board and will mean that little or no borrowing will be required.

“The €30m is outstanding from that perspective,” Ryan said.

“We would expect to fund the rest of the project from GAA sources then, and we’re very happy that theborrowing requirement will be very small, if it is needed at all.

“Having a stadium of such quality can only be a good thing, you see yourself when there’s a big occasion what it can do for the local economy. You only have to look at the Bruce Springsteen concert last summer to see what benefits can accrue.”