Richmond Park (Dublin)

Richmond Park is a football stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Situated in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore, it is the home ground of League of Ireland side St Patrick’s Athletic F.C. (also known as St Pat’s).

General information

Arena capacity: 5,340 spectators

Address: 8, 125 Emmet Rd, Inchicore, Dublin, D08 E0Y7, Ireland

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 53°20′27.32″N 06°18′59.83″W

Year of construction: 1925

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 108 x 64 m

Seating plan of Richmond Park

Richmond Park is located close to Inchicore, in the West suburbs of Dublin. Visiting fans walking or driving to the ground along Emmet Road could be forgiven for looking for floodlights to guide the way but the ground itself is set in a valley, with its playing surface and set of pitch side floodlight pylons a good couple of metres below Emmet Road, and with Victorian terrace houses to the South, high rise modern apartments to the East and an Industrial Unit to the West, Richmond Park truly is a hidden gem, with the only sign of a football ground is a turnstile block leading off a sloping road and a modern mural baring the emotive rallying call ‘Once a Saint always a Saint’.

The Club Offices themselves are located amongst a row of Victorian terrace houses, here a large red gate with a sign above baring the forthcoming match fixtures leads into the rear of the Main Stand.

The Main Stand was originally only covered in its central section but was rebuilt in late 1989, the new work extending the stand and seating deck onto flanking wings. It runs to almost full pitch length and has 1,800 seats and houses both home and away supporters, with fans entering at the top of the seating deck and walking down the gangways to pitch side.

There are four columns and floodlight pylons along the length of the stand however since the roof is of a lightweight design the columns are slim enough to not impede the view of the pitch.The stand has executive seating in the central section, and two players tunnels. Looking from the Main Stand to the right is a narrow strip of terracing known as The Shed End/John Minnock Stand with ‘The Shed’ itself covering less than half of the terrace around the penalty area.

This side of the ground has an angled boundary wall backing onto the tall modern residential apartments, although you probably wouldn’t notice the taper until you are standing on the terrace, the further you head away from the Main Stand the wider the terrace becomes. It should be noted that although the residential flats behind the goal all have balconies which overlook the pitch you won’t see many people watching a game from their lofty position!

Looking to the left from the Main Stand the former Inchicore End Terrace was fitted with 1,000 red plastic seats to allow the club to play in the 2007 UEFA Cup. This end of the ground is now referred to as the New or West Stand, and also has a portakabin club shop in the corner of the Main Stand, on top of which is a stadium control box.

For most league games however both the ends are empty, with away fans hanging their club flags on the rear boundary wall of the The Shed End/John Minnock Stand and their counterpart home fans from across Ireland draping their flags on the seating of the New/West Stand. This leaves the majority of St Patrick’s vocal home supporters directly across the pitch standing on the Camac Terrace on the North side of the stadium. Fans access the terrace by walking down a sloping pathway to the rear of the New/West Stand seating deck. As with the Riverside Stand at Shelbourne’s Tolka Park the boundary wall is built up as much as possible to prevent flooding from the River Cammock.

The terrace has a sturdy line of crush barriers and is a wonderful place to watch a game in the summer months, the line of trees on the riverbank keeping fans in the shade whilst providing at least some form of cover in the rain. The terrace is effectively split into two sections by a television gantry, for most league games only the West half of the terrace is used.

With most grounds-new all seater stadium for example, having fans on only two sides can be a disheartening experience but at Richmond Park the noise generated by fans on the Camac Terrace and the Main Stand seems to hit the walls of the Victorian terrace houses along Emmet Road and echo back into the ground, making a crowd of around 2,500 sound far larger. For this reason alone the ground is unique and would be a sorely missed experience if St Patrick’s Athletic ever decide to move to a new stadium in the area.

Away fans are allocated Block A of seating in the Main Stand. With a majority of the home support also sitting in the stand under the same roof then this contributes to a great atmosphere. Depending on numbers then away fans are also housed in the Shed End Terrace and for real big games then the open shed side of the Camac Terrace can also be opened.

How to get there?

From the North

Follow the M1 Southbound from Dublin Airport. Rather than continue into the busy Dublin City Centre and heading west towards the Inchicore district along the River Liffey or North Circular Road/Phoenix Park routes you may find it a better option to follow the M50 and head towards Inchicore from the South West. To do this join the M50 at Junction 3 and follow the road Westbound towards the N7.

Exit at Junction 9,at the Red Cow roundabout turn left onto the R110 and follows alongside the Luas Red Tram Line. Continue following the tram line then continue straight over the Grand Canal into Inchicore as the tram line turns right. Once in the shopping area of Inchicore take the first right into Emmet Road and Richmond Park is located on the left-hand side.

From the West

Follow the N4 from Lucan towards the West suburbs of Dublin, then at Junction 7 of the M50 turn onto the motorway and follow Southbound, exiting at Junction 9.At the Red Cow roundabout turn left onto the R110 and follows alongside the Luas Red Tram Line. Continue following the tram line then continue straight over the Grand Canal into Inchicore as the tram line turns right. Once in the shopping area of Inchicore take the first right into Emmet Road. Richmond Park is located on the left-hand side.

From the South

Follow the N11 from Bray into the South suburbs of Dublin. Once past Donnybrook Rugby Ground you may find it quicker to use Dublin’s Outer Orbital Route rather than continue towards the busy Saint Stephens Green, Dublin Castle, River Liffey and City Centre Shopping area route. To do this turn left at Junction 54 onto Grand Parade which runs alongside the canal. Continue on the road to Junction 61 then at the crossroads turn left into Emmet Road. Richmond Park is located on the right-hand side.

Car Parking

Street parking can be found along Emmet Road and Bulfin Road, the junction opposite the club offices.

The ground is not easy to spot as you won’t be able to see any of the floodlights or stands from the roadside. On Emmet Road you need to be looking for a bright red mural bearing ‘Once a Saint always a Saint’ which leads down a slope to the turnstiles, and further along Emmet Road where you will find the club offices and a large red gate in a row of Victorian terrace houses.

By Train/Tram

The nearest railway station is Dublin Heuston which is about a mile away from Richmond Park. As you come out of the main entrance turn right and at a convenient point cross over to the other side of the dual carriageway. Continue straight along this road and after about half a mile on reaching a large roundabout with traffic lights turn left onto the South Circular Road (R111). You will pass a Hilton Hotel on your right and then at the crossroads with traffic lights (there is a Kleen Well Dry Cleaners on one corner) turn right into Emmet Road. The entrance to the ground is down this road on the right, opposite a church.

Otherwise from the centre of Dublin you can take the Luas Red Line tram, heading towards Saggart or Tallaght. You will then need to alight at the Goldenbridge stop alongside the canal and then take the five-minute walk from Goldenbridge to Richmond Park. Walk over the canal footbridge and follow the cul-de-sac road into the housing estate. At the first junction take the right turn to lead you into Connolly Avenue.

At the end of the road turn left and as the road curves to the right you will see the club offices and a big red entrance gate on the opposite side of the junction. Once you have crossed the road you will find the main gate leads into the rear of the Main stand and cowshed end, whilst further along the road to the left narrow industrial estate road slopes down to a set of turnstiles accessing the Inchicore Road open seated end and riverside open terrace.

The Red Line service operates every 10-15 minutes (evenings/weekends) across Dublin from the The Point (Dublin Docklands area to the east) through the centre of Dublin (stopping off at various points) before heading off west to either Saggart or Tallaght. For route maps and timetables visit the Luas Website.

Where to eat and sleep?

The football club owns the Richmond House Pub on Emmet Street; however, it is uncertain if away fans are allowed inside. There is a good selection of food and drink outlets situated at Inchicore, five minutes walk further West along Emmet Road. There are a handful of public houses located in the opposite direction heading back along Emmet Road towards Dublin City Centre.

The closest hotel to Richmond Park stadium is undoubtedly the Hilton Kilmainham, however it is quite pricey, and if you’re planning on making a weekend of it you’re much better heading back to the centre of Dublin. Here there are hotels to suit all budgets including the likes of Maldron Parnell Square, Jurys Inn and a Holiday Inn.

History

When the Irish Free State was established in 1922 after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the British Army left and three years later Bridebill F.C used the ground from 1925 onwards. St Patrick’s Athletic were founded in 1929 and spent their first season at Phoenix Park, before moving into Richmond Park a year later in 1930. Regarded as St Pat’s permanent home ever since, the club have actually had been forced to vacate the stadium on several occasions throughout the 20th century. One of the most notable occasions occurred when the team achieved promotion to the League of Ireland in 1951, but were forced to leave Richer for a series of venues across Dublin after the ground was deemed inadequate. The Super Saints returned in the 1960s when major redevelopment was was carried out, but in 1989 they were once again forced to temporarily vacate after further renovation work was carried out.