Casement Park
Encyclopedia
Casement Park is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association
stadium in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
, home to the Antrim
football
and hurling
teams. Named after one of the participants of the 1916 Easter Rising
, Sir Roger Casement
, the ground has a capacity of 32,600.
Casement Park, one of the main stadia in all of Ulster
, opened for the first time in June 1953, with Armagh Harps defeating St John’s of Antrim
in the final of the inaugural Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
. The newly opened Casement Park hosted the Ulster Championship final
less than a month later, which saw Armagh
overcome reigning All-Ireland champions Cavan
.
In all, Casement Park has hosted eight Ulster football finals. However, the Antrim ground has not held the provincial show piece since 1971, with St. Tiernach's Park
in Clones
hosting the final until 2004 and it was moved to Croke Park
the following year. A major facelift of the stadium took place in 2000, a move which saw more championship games played at Casement Park. In 2006, floodlights were added which now enable hurling and football to be played in the evening.
in Lisburn
, which was intended to host football, rugby union
and gaelic games
. However, the opposition to the idea led to it being dropped in favour of a new venue in the Sydenham area of East Belfast. This led to Ulster GAA
, who were one of the partners in the Maze project, to pull out in favour of remaining at Casement Park.
In 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive
announced that it had granted £138m for various stadium redevelopment projects throughout Northern Ireland. Ulster GAA
will receive £61m of this, which will be used to redevelop Casement Park into a 40,000 all seat stadium, making it the largest stadium in Northern Ireland.
rally in commemoration of the deaths of Provisional IRA and INLA
prisoners in the 1981 hunger strike drew criticisms from unionists.
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
stadium in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, home to the Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
and hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
teams. Named after one of the participants of the 1916 Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
, Sir Roger Casement
Roger Casement
Roger David Casement —Sir Roger Casement CMG between 1911 and shortly before his execution for treason, when he was stripped of his British honours—was an Irish patriot, poet, revolutionary, and nationalist....
, the ground has a capacity of 32,600.
Casement Park, one of the main stadia in all of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
, opened for the first time in June 1953, with Armagh Harps defeating St John’s of Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
in the final of the inaugural Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition played between the top clubs in Ulster. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup...
. The newly opened Casement Park hosted the Ulster Championship final
Ulster Senior Football Championship
For information on this years competition, see Ulster Senior Football Championship 2011-2010 Draw:-2009 Draw:-2008 Draw:-Top winners:* All-Ireland winning years in bold.-Roll of honour:Notes:* 1907 No final result in records...
less than a month later, which saw Armagh
Armagh GAA
The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...
overcome reigning All-Ireland champions Cavan
Cavan GAA
The Cavan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Cavan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cavan...
.
In all, Casement Park has hosted eight Ulster football finals. However, the Antrim ground has not held the provincial show piece since 1971, with St. Tiernach's Park
St. Tiernach's Park
St. Tiernach's Park is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Clones, Ireland.It is the home of the Monaghan Gaelic football team. The Ulster Final was hosted here from 1970 until 2004: prior to this, Casement Park was the venue. From 2004 to 2006, the Ulster Final had been played in Croke Park,...
in Clones
Clones
Clones is a small town in western County Monaghan, in the 'border area' of the Republic of Ireland. The area is part of the Border Region, earmarked for economic development by the Irish Government due to its currently below-average economic situation...
hosting the final until 2004 and it was moved to Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
the following year. A major facelift of the stadium took place in 2000, a move which saw more championship games played at Casement Park. In 2006, floodlights were added which now enable hurling and football to be played in the evening.
Redevelopment
In 2006, proposals were raised to build a brand new multi-purpose national stadium on the site of the old Maze prisonMaze (HM Prison)
Her Majesty's Prison Maze was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from mid-1971 to mid-2000....
in Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, which was intended to host football, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and gaelic games
Gaelic games
Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...
. However, the opposition to the idea led to it being dropped in favour of a new venue in the Sydenham area of East Belfast. This led to Ulster GAA
Ulster GAA
The Ulster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in Armagh City....
, who were one of the partners in the Maze project, to pull out in favour of remaining at Casement Park.
In 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...
announced that it had granted £138m for various stadium redevelopment projects throughout Northern Ireland. Ulster GAA
Ulster GAA
The Ulster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in Armagh City....
will receive £61m of this, which will be used to redevelop Casement Park into a 40,000 all seat stadium, making it the largest stadium in Northern Ireland.
2006 controversy
A decision in 2006 by the Antrim County Board to permit the use of Casement Park to host a RepublicanIrish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
rally in commemoration of the deaths of Provisional IRA and INLA
Irish National Liberation Army
The Irish National Liberation Army or INLA is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group that was formed on 8 December 1974. Its goal is to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a socialist united Ireland....
prisoners in the 1981 hunger strike drew criticisms from unionists.