Munster’s new €40m stadium unveiled

A HISTORIC week for Munster rugby was capped yesterday with the unveiling of the design for the new-look Thomond Park which will be built at a cost of €40 million.

The famous venue will be expanded to cater for 26,000 fans, with construction work commencing early next year and reopening scheduled for late 2008.

Two new stands will be built adjacent to the existing main pitch, offering a seating capacity for 15,000 and terrace capacity of 11,000.

Pat Whelan, chairman of the redevelopment committee said: “We are delighted to unveil the new-look concept for the redevelopment of Thomond Park. It represents a major project for Munster and Irish rugby. It is a significant addition to the sporting infrastructure of Limerick City and one which suitably complements Munster’s proud image as one of the best-supported teams anywhere in the game of rugby.”

Ken Lyons, president of the Munster Branch IRFU, said there were very few rugby followers in the world who are not aware of Thomond Park.

He said: “This wonderful redevelopment project is entirely fitting, more so in view of Munster’s magnificent Heineken European Cup victory last weekend, so that greater capacities in superior levels of comfort can be accommodated.”

Thomond Park is renowned for Munster’s historic defeat of the touring All Blacks in 1978.

The IRFU decided to retain Thomond Park as the premier rugby venue outside of Dublin after a study by ARUP Consulting Engineers into a number of sites in the Limerick area.

To allow the development to go ahead, the IRFU had to negotiate the purchase of 16 terraced houses at Knockalisheen Road for a sum believed to be in the region of €5.5m.

Mr Whelan thanked the residents of Knockalisheen Road, without whose co-operation the Thomond Park project might have been jeopardised.