Croke Park pitch work starts as protests end

Fears over whether the Croke Park pitch will be relaid in time for next Sunday and Monday's All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals have been allayed, following the calling off of the residents' protests outside the ground.

Residents in the vicinity of the Jones's Road venue were enraged by what they termed as 'the intrusion caused by extensive works" for the hosting of three U2 concerts last weekend.

Dublin City Council permitted continuous 44-hour works from midnight on Monday, following the final gig, to dismantle the stage.

Yesterday morning saw residents take to the streets and block workers from leaving the stadium as the stage and rigging was transferred onto trucks, only four of which were allowed through by the residents.

But as the hours ticked by, the GAA got involved and GAA President Christy Cooney and the Association's Director General Paraic Duffy met with residents to discuss their concerns.

Following the meeting, the residents agreed to end their protests, thus allowing work on the laying of the Croke Park pitch to commence.

Time is of the essence with the extensive resodding job as there is a quarter-final double header - Cork v Donegal and Tyrone v Kildare - scheduled for Sunday afternoon, with the Dublin v Kerry clash throwing in 24 hours later.

Cooney said: "We thank the local community for their understanding and co-operation in assisting our efforts to bring about a resolution and we apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents in the last 48 hours.

"We have listened carefully to their views and we are committed to a process of dialogue which will be consultative in its nature in an effort to achieving the best possible outcome for all concerned in the running of the major events at Croke Park..

"We are committed to moving forward in a positive way to address their concerns.

"I am now looking forward to the prospect of exciting games at the weekend with the quarter-finals of the GAA Minor and Senior Football Championships."