Louth nominate Inniskeen as venue for All-Ireland SFC clash with Meath

Páirc Grattan in Inniskeen will host Louth vs Meath on Ma5 25th. Picture: Philip Fitzpatrick/Sportsfile

Louth GAA has nominated Inniskeen Grattans' ground in Monaghan as the venue for their All-Ireland SFC group stage clash with Meath on May 25th. 

At a county committee meeting on Monday night, delegates were told that the Inniskeen venue has a capacity of 6,000 but it is hoped that it could be increased following an inspection. 

While their new stadium in Dundalk is being developed, Louth have played their home National League games in Ardee, a ground which has a capacity of just 2,800. 

In last year's group stage, Louth played their home game against Cork in Navan. Playing at Páirc Tailteann this year would have meant Louth conceding their home advantage and given both sides will undoubtedly have ambitions of qualifying for the knockout stages, staging the game there would not have been a runner. 

Fixture Confirmation

Our All-Ireland Series Round 1 game against Louth will take place in Inniskeen at 17:30 on Saturday May 25.

🎟️’s for all 3 group games are available via https://t.co/gRRTpGpZRU

This offer concludes at 13:00 on Friday.@BectiveStud#MeathGAA #BectiveStud pic.twitter.com/Cqb8MQGKV0

— Meath GAA (@MeathGAA) May 14, 2024

Louth secretary Bob Doheny said it was decided to play across the county border as they "wanted to try keep the game as local as possible". It will be a venue particularly familiar to Louth midfielder Tommy Durnin who has played with Inniskeen Grattans since transferring to the club in 2021. 

The clash with Meath, which throws in at 5:30pm, will be all-ticket. Supporters have the option of purchasing a €50 three-match package for the group stage. In addition to facing Meath, Louth will also play away to Monaghan and clash with Kerry at a neutral venue. 

At the Monday night meeting, Louth chairperson Seán McClean was questioned about the status of the proposed 14,000 capacity stadium in Dundalk.

“This is not a simple process and it’s not going to happen in a week or two," he said.

"Newbridge have been waiting five or six years. Casement Park is going on for over 10 years.” McClean added that the stadium is "probably the most prioritised" by Croke Park officials.

The grilling of McClean came after Louth manager Ger Brennan, speaking following his side's four-point loss to Dublin in Sunday's Leinster final, called on the GAA to "accelerate the development of the new stadium".