New winter sports arena aiming to bring Madison Square Garden experience to Ireland

What an Irish winter sporting facility could be. The Olympic Federation of Ireland, which sourced its own feasibility study on a similar facility just two years ago, is backing the plans for a venue that could be a game-changer for the country

Dublin has two internationally-renowned stadiums, 50m swimming pools and a national sports campus that continues to add various pieces to its jigsaw of offerings. A cricket ground and a velodrome are even now in the process of being built.

The days of the city lagging miles behind the rest of the developed world for the sort of infrastructure that should be taken for granted are over, but there is one yawning gap in the market that may well be filled in the next few years.

Ireland is still the only country in Europe that doesn’t have a permanent winter sports facility in its capital city. It’s an absence that is all the more glaring for the fact that Belfast has the Odyssey Arena and a rink down the road in Dundonald. And both are booming.

Dermot Rigney is CEO of Prime Arena Holdings, a group with a wide range of investors that is planning on changing all that with the construction of an ambitious and multi-purpose winter sports facility in Cherrywood on the city’s southside.

The plan is for a build that will consist of two multipurpose ice rinks, one catering to over 8,000 people, that will serve as home to an ice hockey team that will rival the Belfast Giants and play in the same British professional league down the line.

The Olympic Federation of Ireland, which sourced its own feasibility study on a similar facility just two years ago, is backing the plans for a venue that could be a game-changer for the country in terms of its winter athletes and Games ambitions.

A hotel is planned on the same site, concerts and exhibitions will be catered for, and it will be open to the public all year round. If the size, the scope and the ambition are eye-catching then the feel of the place looks like being no different.

“Ultimately what the theme will feel like is that North American entertainment experience,” said Rigney. “If you've had the privilege of going to Madison Square Garden, or any of the facilities in the States, that's what it's going to be.

“You’ll have a jumbotron, and effectively it feels like you've stepped into one of those arenas in North America. If you look at Madison Square Garden, out of 365 days, they have over 750 events a year.

“So it's a very similar, well-proven model. And we are that last capital city in Europe without a facility like this. We have seen the pop-up rinks at Christmas time and hundreds and thousands of people go through them. Then they disappear.” 

The architect on the project is Populous, the same company that worked on the iconic Sphere in Las Vegas, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and the Aviva. It also has a CV replete with NHL arenas. An entire NHL division, actually.

The professional ice hockey team would serve as an anchor tenant. The Elite Ice Hockey League in the UK is keen to expand and the Belfast Giants are a long-standing and successful member. That northern experience is key here.

The Giants play over 30 games a year at home and have embedded into the Belfast sports scene. Crowds of over 6,000 per game are the norm and Rigney says research shows that ticket yields and sponsorship deals are generally stronger down south.

A wide range of investors is already on board. Mickey O’Rourke is already involved in Shelbourne, Premier Sports and with ice hockey teams in the UK. Tom Kennedy is a tech entrepreneur and founder of hostelworld. Denis Desmond, founder of MCD and chairman of Live Nation, is another.

Interest and finance has been sourced from across The Pond as well.

Marty Walsh is an ex-mayor of Boston who negotiates on behalf of NHL players with the league over there. A number of current and former NHL players plus Rob Blake, a former general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, are on board too.

Rigney has also flagged the potential of a “Hollywood-type personality” getting involved. It would be a savvy move given the exposure stars like Ryan Reynolds, Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady have brought to Wrexham FC, Swansea City and Birmingham City.

The Cherrywood site, adjacent to the M50 and with good public transport links, was acquired in April of last year. A pre-planning application has already been put in with full planning scheduled for the end of July.

Prime has already spent about €6.5m at this point with the eventual spend expected to hit €250m. Government support will be needed and conversations are ongoing with the hope of an opening date in either 2029 or 2030.

“So we'll be delivering just short of €300m per annum in terms of economic benefits to the state and driving a huge amount of international visitors coming in. It will be a big driver for tourism, big for the exchequer.” And big for Irish sport.