Croke Park facts for kids
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Croker
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| Location | Jones Road, Dublin 3, D03 P6K7, Ireland |
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| Public transit | Drumcondra railway station |
| Owner | GAA |
| Capacity | 82,300 |
| Field size | 144.5m x 88m |
| Surface | soil pitch |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1880 |
| Opened | 1884 |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Architect | Gilroy McMahon |
| Project manager | Seamus Monahan & Partners |
| Structural engineer | Horgan Lynch & Partners |
| Tenants | |
| Gaelic Athletic Association | |
Croke Park (which is Páirc an Chrócaigh in Irish) is a really big stadium in Dublin, Ireland. It's the largest stadium in Ireland and one of the biggest in all of Europe! It can hold an amazing 82,300 people.
The stadium is owned by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), which is Ireland's largest sports organization. The GAA has used Croke Park since 1884. It's famous for hosting the exciting annual finals of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Many famous music stars have also played concerts here. For a few years (from 2007 to 2009), it even hosted international rugby and soccer games. The stadium is named after Thomas Croke, an important archbishop who helped the GAA get started.
Contents
History of Croke Park
Early Days as a Sports Ground
People have played sports on this land since the 1870s. Back then, it was called Jones's Road Sportsground. When the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was formed, they started using it for their biggest Gaelic games.
The GAA Buys the Land
The GAA officially bought the land in 1913. At that time, it only had one main seating area (called a stand). There were also simple earth banks around the field for people to stand on.
Growing Bigger and Better
In the 1920s, more seating areas were built. This meant more people could come and watch the games. In the 1980s, the GAA decided to build a super-sized, modern stadium. The final parts of this big building project were finished in 2003.
Images for kids
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A fireworks and light display was held in Croke Park in front of 79,161 fans on Saturday 31 January 2009 to mark the GAA's 125th anniversary
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Bloody Sunday remembrance plaque
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Croke Park floodlights in use during Six Nations Championship match
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U2's Vertigo Tour at Croke Park in 2005
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U2's 360° Tour at Croke Park in 2009
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Statue of Michael Cusack outside the Croke Park GAA Museum
See also
In Spanish: Croke Park para niños
