Croke Park (Dublin)

Croke Park is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Since 1891 the site has been used by the GAA to host Gaelic sports, including the annual All-Ireland in Gaelic football and hurling.

General information

Arena capacity: 82,300 spectators

Address: Jones Road, Dublin 3, D03 P6K7, Ireland

GPS coordinates for the navigator: Jones Road, Dublin 3, D03 P6K7, Ireland

Year of construction: 1884

Construction cost: €260 million

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 145 x 88m

Seating plan of Croke Park

Rows LL begin at the top of the entrance steps into the stand of the lower sections and continue up to the back of the stand to row WW. Section 404 to 407 are located directly behind rows WW in sections 304 to 307. This is the wheelchair platform with seats for their assistants. This is also the area where the Season Ticket holders restaurant is located.

Where to buy tickets?

Tickets must be purchased prior to arriving at Croke Park as there is no facility onsite to purchase tickets. There are no ticket vans or ticket offices in operation.

Tickets are available to purchase at selected SuperValue and Centra stores. Use the store locator here to find selected stores gaa.ie/tickets/where-to-buy/

It is recommended to purchase tickets online at www.ticketmaster.ie. You must create a My GAA account prior to purchasing your ticket at am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/. Please check and read all terms and conditions before you purchase your ticket. For help watch the “How To” video guide to buying a ticket for the match.

Plan your journey in advance and make sure to follow the instructions of stadium safety stewards when arriving and leaving the ground. Please enter the stadium via the designated colour coded route outlined on your ticket.

How to get there?

There are a number of ways to travel to Croke Park on match days and concerts. It is important to plan your journey in advance to avoid any delays. Where possible, it’s encouraged to use sustainable methods of transport to and from the stadium.

If you intend on driving to Croke Park for a match or concert, please take note that the roads surrounding the stadium are residential roads. Car parking is limited, and restrictions are in place on match days/concerts.

Increased traffic volumes and local road closures before, during and after events cause significant delays in the area, so it is a good idea to plan your journey in advance.

On this webpage, we provide as much information for spectators to plan their journey to Croke Park. This includes transport and parking options from third parties such as Irish Rail/Dublin Bus and private car parks such as Q-Parks & Park Rite.

Visitors to Croke Park should note there are no official partnerships between the stadium and any of these service providers and the stadium is not involved in the management of any of their event day transport offers. They are included solely as an option for visitors to consider in their journey planning.

Walking

The stadium is well sign posted from the city and from cordon entry points. Spectators can plan their walking route by using Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps

Cycling

Complimentary bike racks are available in the Cusack and Davin Car Parks.

City Bike Scheme

Dublin City Bike stations are located at North Circular Road (2x stations) and the Mater Hospital both of which are within walking distance of the stadium. More information can be found here: https://www.dublinbikes.ie/en/mapping

By Car

There is no car park onsite at the stadium. Increased traffic volumes and local road closures before, during and after events cause significant delays in the area. Where possible carpooling to and from games is encouraged.

There are limited parking options in the immediate vicinity of the stadium and as such journeys should be planned well in advance. The Clonliffe College site is closed and parking is no longer available at the College.

Spectators should be considerate of residents and should not park in residential areas. Roads surrounding the stadium are monitored during matches and events. Any car parked illegally will be clamped or removed and the issuing of on-the-spot parking fines is in operation on local streets during stadium events. Spectators are asked to be mindful of residents by behaving in an appropriate manner when coming to and going from the stadium.

By Bus

1. Dublin Bus. Dublin Bus offers a high-frequency, accessible and easy to use service from all over Dublin. A number of services bring you quite close to Croke Park and many others will get you to the city centre from where the stadium is a 15 minute walk. Bus Routes that serve Croke Park: 1, 7, 11, 13, 14, 16, 27a, 27b, 29a, 31/a, 31b, 32, 33, 40, 40b, 40d, 41, 41b, 41c, 42, 43, 44, 53, 123, 13.
2. Bus Éireann. Bus Éireann provides a nationwide bus service and private coach hire options to traveling fans. You can find out more about their schedules and services on the GAA News section of their site.

By Rail

1. DART/LUAS. Both the DART and LUAS networks provide excellent service from many different parts of Dublin. In most cases ‘park & ride’ is available at various stations along the route. Take the Luas Red Line to Connolly Station and Croke Park is just a 15 minute walk (1.3km) from here. The stadium is a similar walking distance from both Parnell and Marlborough Luas stops on the Luas Green Line.
2. Irish Rail. Iarnród Éireann provides convenient travel services for anyone traveling to Croke Park from rail connected locations around the country. Special additional trains are also provided on event days. Extra local services are operated to and from Maynooth station on event days. All supporters using this service are asked to use designated car parks only. For further information, visit www.irishrail.ie.

History

A major expansion and redevelopment of the stadium ran from 1991 to 2005, raising capacity to its current 82,300 spectators. Other events held at the stadium include the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2003 Special Olympics, and numerous musical concerts. From 2007 to 2010, Croke Park hosted home matches of the Ireland national rugby union team and the Republic of Ireland national football team, while their new Aviva Stadium was constructed. This use of Croke Park for non-Gaelic sports was controversial and required temporary changes to GAA rules. In June 2012, the stadium hosted the closing ceremony of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress during which Pope Benedict XVI gave an address over video link.