Glenmalure Park
Encyclopedia
Glenmalure Park, often simply known as "Milltown", was a football stadium
on the Southside of Dublin city in Ireland
. Located in the suburb of Milltown
, it was home to Shamrock Rovers from 1926 to 1987, when it was sold to property developers by the club's directors. It is now a housing estate called Glenmalure Square.
in the early 20th century to the then semi-rural suburb of Milltown. In Milltown, Rovers secured a long term lease of land from the Jesuit Order, who were based in the area. The club's ground there was largely built by their supporters, who constructed the main stand and banked the areas on the other three sides. It was officially opened on Sunday the 19th of September 1926, with a friendly game against Belfast Celtic
in front of a crowd of 18,000. Bob Fullam
had the honour of scoring Rovers first ever goal at the ground.
valley in the Wicklow Mountains
. The Cunninghams completed the ground by terracing the remainder of the ground and erecting a roof over the terrace opposite the main stand. Glenmalure Park remained almost unaltered from then until its demolition in 1990, apart from the demolition of a small area of terracing beside the main stand and the erection of floodlights in the early 1980s. The capacity of the stadium was about 20,000 (with around 1000 seats) for most of its existence, its record crowd being 28,000 people for a game against Waterford in 1968. However, bigger crowds than this were sometimes seen at the venue before this, but went unreported by the club's owners. However, with modern safety precautions its capacity would probably have been considerably less. The ground's last full house came in 1986, when 18,000 attended a European Cup match against Glasgow Celtic. Temporary stands had to be erected for this game.
In 1978 Glenmalure Park hosted its first European game when Apoel Nicosia
were defeated 2-0. In all seven European games were played there as well as Olympic qualifiers.
to share with Home Farm F.C.
. The last match at Milltown was an FAI Cup
semi-final between Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers on the 12th of April 1987, attended by some 6,000 people. This game saw a pitch invasion and protest by fans objecting to the sale of the ground. Some Shamrock Rovers supporters occupied the pitch at half-time were joined by Sligo fans in solidarity. They had to be persuaded to leave the pitch before the game could restart.
The following season Shamrock Rovers fans formed an organisation called 'Keep Rovers at Milltown' (KRAM) and placed a picket on home games at Tolka Park, effectively bankrupting the club's owners. KRAM collected money to purchase Glenmalure Park but could not match the offer of a property developer to whom the Kilcoynes eventually sold the site. After a lengthy appeals process, Glenmalure Park was demolished in the summer of 1990 and an apartment complex was built there. It is now marked by a permanent memorial erected by Shamrock Rovers supporters on Thursday the 21st of May 1998.
On Thursday the 12th of April 2007 a ceremony was held at the monument to commemorate 20 years since the last competitive game was played at the famous old ground.
The sale of Glenmalure Park featured in the RTE programme "Twenty Moments That Shook Irish Sport" which was broadcast in August 2007. The feature came in for some criticism on the basis of its factual correctness and bias in favour of the Kilcoynes. The last game at Milltown was featured on RTE's Monday Night Soccer
show on April 14th 2008.
Shamrock Rovers were without a home ground for over 20 years after the sale of Glenmalure Park, until the opening of Tallaght Stadium
in March 2009.
in the 1923/24 season, Reds United
in the 1935/36 season, Shelbourne from 1949-51, and St Patrick's Athletic from 1951-54.
The ground also hosted a boxing event in August 1966
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
on the Southside of Dublin city in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Located in the suburb of Milltown
Milltown, Dublin
Milltown , Dublin 6, Ireland, is a suburb on the southside of Dublin. The townland got its name well before the 18th or 19th century. Both Milltown and Clonskeagh were "Liberties" of Dublin, following the English invasion and colonisation in 1290....
, it was home to Shamrock Rovers from 1926 to 1987, when it was sold to property developers by the club's directors. It is now a housing estate called Glenmalure Square.
Ringsend to Milltown
Shamrock Rovers moved from the inner city area of RingsendRingsend
Ringsend is a southside inner suburb of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey, about two kilometres east of the city centre, and is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll Bridge....
in the early 20th century to the then semi-rural suburb of Milltown. In Milltown, Rovers secured a long term lease of land from the Jesuit Order, who were based in the area. The club's ground there was largely built by their supporters, who constructed the main stand and banked the areas on the other three sides. It was officially opened on Sunday the 19th of September 1926, with a friendly game against Belfast Celtic
Belfast Celtic
Belfast Celtic Football Club was a football club in Northern Ireland that was founded in 1891, and was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until forced to withdraw from the Irish League in 1949.-History:...
in front of a crowd of 18,000. Bob Fullam
Bob Fullam
Bob Fullam was an Irish footballer and one of the best-known players in the League of Ireland in the 1920s . A versatile attacking player, he was skilful but also had a tough-man image....
had the honour of scoring Rovers first ever goal at the ground.
The glory years
When the Cunningham family took over the club in the 1930s, the stadium was named Glenmalure Park in honour of the Cunningham's ancestral home in the GlenmalureGlenmalure
Glenmalure is a valley in the Wicklow Mountains in eastern Ireland. It is a u-shaped glacial valley, with only one road leading into it, which connects to the 'Military Road' at the mouth of the valley....
valley in the Wicklow Mountains
Wicklow Mountains
The Wicklow Mountains form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into Counties Carlow, Wexford and Dublin. Where the mountains extend into County Dublin, they are known locally as the Dublin Mountains...
. The Cunninghams completed the ground by terracing the remainder of the ground and erecting a roof over the terrace opposite the main stand. Glenmalure Park remained almost unaltered from then until its demolition in 1990, apart from the demolition of a small area of terracing beside the main stand and the erection of floodlights in the early 1980s. The capacity of the stadium was about 20,000 (with around 1000 seats) for most of its existence, its record crowd being 28,000 people for a game against Waterford in 1968. However, bigger crowds than this were sometimes seen at the venue before this, but went unreported by the club's owners. However, with modern safety precautions its capacity would probably have been considerably less. The ground's last full house came in 1986, when 18,000 attended a European Cup match against Glasgow Celtic. Temporary stands had to be erected for this game.
In 1978 Glenmalure Park hosted its first European game when Apoel Nicosia
APOEL FC
APOEL F.C. is a professional football club based in Lefkosia , Cyprus and they are one of the founding members of the Cyprus Football Association. APOEL is one of the most popular football teams in Cyprus and they are the most successful with an overall tally of 21 championships, 19 cups and 12...
were defeated 2-0. In all seven European games were played there as well as Olympic qualifiers.
Sale and demolition
In 1987, the Kilcoyne family, who owned Shamrock Rovers since 1972 and had recently bought Glenmalure Park from the Jesuits, decided to sell the stadium to property developers. They stated that their aim was to move Rovers to Tolka ParkTolka Park
Tolka Park is an Irish football ground located in the north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra, on the northern banks of the River Tolka. It is currently the home ground of League of Ireland club Shelbourne...
to share with Home Farm F.C.
Home Farm F.C.
Home Farm Football Club is an Irish football club based in Whitehall, Dublin. Originally founded in 1928, the club joined the League of Ireland in 1972 after merging with Drumcondra. Following this merger they were briefly known as Home Farm Drumcondra...
. The last match at Milltown was an FAI Cup
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
semi-final between Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers on the 12th of April 1987, attended by some 6,000 people. This game saw a pitch invasion and protest by fans objecting to the sale of the ground. Some Shamrock Rovers supporters occupied the pitch at half-time were joined by Sligo fans in solidarity. They had to be persuaded to leave the pitch before the game could restart.
The following season Shamrock Rovers fans formed an organisation called 'Keep Rovers at Milltown' (KRAM) and placed a picket on home games at Tolka Park, effectively bankrupting the club's owners. KRAM collected money to purchase Glenmalure Park but could not match the offer of a property developer to whom the Kilcoynes eventually sold the site. After a lengthy appeals process, Glenmalure Park was demolished in the summer of 1990 and an apartment complex was built there. It is now marked by a permanent memorial erected by Shamrock Rovers supporters on Thursday the 21st of May 1998.
On Thursday the 12th of April 2007 a ceremony was held at the monument to commemorate 20 years since the last competitive game was played at the famous old ground.
The sale of Glenmalure Park featured in the RTE programme "Twenty Moments That Shook Irish Sport" which was broadcast in August 2007. The feature came in for some criticism on the basis of its factual correctness and bias in favour of the Kilcoynes. The last game at Milltown was featured on RTE's Monday Night Soccer
Monday Night Soccer
Monday Night Soccer is the RTÉ's main football television programme. It is shown on RTÉ Two on Monday evenings during the Irish football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in Irish football's top division, the League of Ireland Premier Division...
show on April 14th 2008.
Shamrock Rovers were without a home ground for over 20 years after the sale of Glenmalure Park, until the opening of Tallaght Stadium
Tallaght Stadium
Tallaght Stadium is a football stadium in the Southside suburb of Tallaght, Dublin. Shamrock Rovers originally announced details of the stadium back in July 1996...
in March 2009.
Other uses
Four other League of Ireland clubs have played home matches at Glenmalure Park. Shelbourne UnitedShelbourne United
Shelbourne United Football Club was an Irish football club from Dublin, that spent two seasons playing in the League of Ireland from 1922 to 1924. In their first season in the League, they played their home matches at Anglesea Road and finished fourth...
in the 1923/24 season, Reds United
Reds United
Reds United was a football team from Dublin in the Irish Free State. The team was formed by people involved with Shelbourne after a disagreement with the Football Association of Ireland during the 1933/34 season, Shelbourne resigned from the League of Ireland at the season's end. The FAI responded...
in the 1935/36 season, Shelbourne from 1949-51, and St Patrick's Athletic from 1951-54.
The ground also hosted a boxing event in August 1966