Pride Parade will add to congestion in Limerick

Kerry and Mayo fans travelling to Limerick for Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final replay are being advised to travel early as the city will be thronged for one of the biggest gay, lesbian and transgender parades ever organised in this country.

The Pride Parade is the highlight of Limerick Pride Week and as well as the parade, street artists will be performing at various locations in the O’Connell Street area.

Many city centre streets will be closed off to traffic for the big parade which commences at 2pm. And up to 44,500 fans will pack the Gaelic Grounds for the football game which throws in at 5pm. Mayo supporters can expect additional delays in Clarinbridge due to a fair taking place on Saturday.

“We’ve looked at alternative routes,” said Mayo PRO Aiden McLoughlin, “but the best advice we can give is to leave early and drive safely.”

Former Mayo full-forward John Casey, who scored 0-4 in the county’s last championship victory over Kerry in 1996, warned: “I’ve talked to about 100 people about it today alone and the common consensus is that the hotels in Limerick will make a bomb.”

“People are petrified going down and I’ve heard some of them talking about going at 8am and others are talking about travelling via Athlone. But no one even knows about this [Pride] parade.

“It shows quite clearly the GAA hadn’t done the research when they picked this game to be played in Limerick.

“I’m predicting a nightmare as there’s been no consideration for the Mayo and Kerry fans or players. The best laugh is that they can’t fix the game in Croke Park in case Dublin and Donegal draw.

“It was quite obvious that the most likely game of ending in a draw was the Mayo and Kerry one.

“That was just an excuse and it’s not good enough on the players who will have a six-day turnaround, increasing the likelihood of injuries so even the winner of this match will be at a disadvantage.

“You can be guaranteed one thing that whatever teams will be named they will be dummy teams. From what I’ve heard both managers are sweating on the fitness of up to four players.

“As for the fans though, with the streets closed off parking is going to be horrific.

“Those who can go are in for trouble but a lot can’t go now because it’s Saturday. My brother will be at a wedding and the girl who’s getting married arranged that date so as not to miss a Mayo game.”

However there has been a brisk trade in ticket sales, with Kerry PRO John O’Leary confident their allocation will sell quickly.

“All our allocation of stand tickets has gone out to clubs and there’s been an unbelievable take up for them, especially for the family tickets. We’ve given out over 7,500 for the stand but there are still terrace tickets available online and through SuperValu,” he said while calling on Kerry people to travel early.

“Last Saturday I was listening to the radio and there were three-mile tailbacks in Adare and Abbeyfeale. That was without the game. People from North Kerry can go the coast road [via Foynes, while others could go through Charleville and Croom] and we’d be advising them to do that.

“Another thing is to get to the grounds early. The Gaelic Grounds is not often full so you need to give the stewards time to process the crowd.”

Mayo clubs and season ticket holders also received their ticket allocations yesterday and will be distributing them over the coming days.

Kerry fans are advised that a park-and-ride bus service will operate from the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare, which will commence at 3pm. Return tickets to and from the Gaelic Grounds will cost €10.

Fans travelling from Mayo will be able to avail of a park-and-ride bus service which will operate from the Radisson Hotel on the Ennis Road (€2 return). A park-and-ride bus service will also run from the Kilmurray Lodge Hotel on the Dublin Road.

There are 3,000 street parking places in Limerick city centre and a further 3,000 in multi-storey car parks. Signs on the main entrances to the city indicate the amount of available car park spaces in the multi-storey car parks.

Motorists availing of street parking are advised that a disc parking system operates on most streets.

A spokeswoman for Limerick City and County Council said: “The disc parking system operates up until 5.30pm and there are one-hour and two-hour areas. Discs can be purchased at most shops. Many streets have free parking on Saturday and visitors should check the parking signs to find out what designated area they are in.”

Visitors to the Crescent Shopping Centre near University Hospital Limerick can avail of the extensive free parking at the centre. There is a regular city bus service from outside the main entrance to the centre.

More information on traffic arrangements can be found on www.limerick.ie.