Clare County Board chairman Joe Cooney rejects criticism of revamped Cusack Park stand

Clare County Board chairman Joe Cooney has rejected criticism of the revamped Southern Stand at Cusack Park in Ennis, which has been described as “a disgrace” and a “waste of money”.

Listeners contacted the Morning Focus show on Clare FM yesterday to complain about the lack of leg room in the stand and one caller revealed how Longford fans attending last Sunday’s football fixture joked Clare people must be very small if they can sit comfortably in the new seats.

Texters labelled the new facility a “disgrace” and a “waste of money” while others contacting the station pointed out that paint on the outside walls resemble Tipperary colours, with blue above yellow.

A caller also described how some patrons in the stand could not fit past others during the Longford game and left “imprints of their shoes” on seats in an attempt to return to where they were seated themselves.

But consultant engineer on the €1.5m project, Niall Fitzgerald, told presenter Gavin Grace that all required guidelines had been adhered to, while admitting it would have been better to demolish the existing stand and start from scratch if money allowed.

Fitzgerald, representing Horganlynch Consulting Engineers, said: “First of all, this project involved the upgrade of the existing Southern Stand at Cusack Park.

“If the budget allowed, you’d like to demolish the existing stand and rebuild the stand but there are certain cost constraints.

“We were working with the upgrade of an existing facility and governed by the existing profile of the stand, therefore governed by the existing treads and risers of the stand.”

Fitzgerald also explained that builders had to abide by the Northern Ireland Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds during redevelopment works — and that minimum seating dimensions as outlined in chapter 11 of the guide were met.

Fitzgerald added: “The most important thing as far as we’re concerned is that everything we do is in compliance with the guide to safety in sports grounds. That’s what dictates capacity.”

Fitzgerald also insisted that in the case of emergency, there would be no issue with patrons exiting the stand quickly and safely. He said: “As part of that compliance, you have to demonstrate safe ingress and egress from the stand. We got that fire cert.”

Cooney admitted one spectator who attended the Division 1B hurling promotion shoot-out with Limerick remarked that the “leg room between the seat they were sitting on and the person in front of them” was “a bit tight” but insisted that he has received “no complaints.”

Cooney added: “Cusack Park had been run down and some of facilities had gone by their sell-by date. A lot of people had been giving out about toilets, the dressing rooms needed to be upgraded and ground works at the back of the stand and entrance to the stadium needed to be upgraded. Those works were part of the project and I think it’s looking a fine facility now.”

Cooney also urged anybody with concerns to contact members of the Clare County Board, and insisted their feedback would be taken on board.

Cooney also stated he will sit in the seated area of the Southern Stand for next Sunday’s Allianz Hurling League quarter-final against Tipperary, so that he can form his own judgements.

He added: “I will sit down in the seated area and I’ll see for myself, that’s the only way I can comment on it.”

In relation to the paint job outside the venue, Cooney joked: “One thing’s for definite — we definitely won’t be putting up the Tipperary colours!”