Ireland’s Biggest Stadiums: A Complete Guide to Our Sporting Cathedrals

From Croke Park to Thomond Park — here’s a full list of Ireland’s largest stadiums and the stories behind them.

By SportsNewsIRELAND.com

Introduction

Ireland’s sporting landscape is built on passion, tradition, and unforgettable days in the stands. Across the country, from Dublin to Kerry, Cork to Belfast, you’ll find some of Europe’s most atmospheric and historic stadiums. Whether it’s the All-Ireland Final in Croke Park, a Munster rugby night in Thomond Park, or League of Ireland action in Tallaght, these venues are the heartbeat of Irish sport.

Here’s a complete guide to Ireland’s biggest stadiums — across GAA, rugby, soccer, and cricket — and what makes them special.

Ireland’s Biggest Stadiums

1. Croke Park, Dublin – 82,300 (GAA)

The largest stadium in Ireland and one of the biggest in Europe. Home to the All-Ireland football and hurling finals, it’s the beating heart of Gaelic Games.

2. Aviva Stadium, Dublin – 51,700 (Soccer & Rugby)

A world-class venue that hosts Ireland’s international soccer and rugby matches.

3. Semple Stadium, Thurles – 45,690 (Hurling)

The spiritual home of hurling in Tipperary and beyond.

4. Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork – 45,000 (GAA)

Recently redeveloped on the banks of the Lee, it’s a key GAA venue in Munster.

5. Gaelic Grounds, Limerick – 44,023 (GAA)

Limerick’s fortress and a hurling stronghold.

Other Major Stadiums Across Ireland

Ireland’s Best Rugby & Soccer Stadiums

• Thomond Park, Limerick – 25,600
• RDS Arena, Dublin – 18,500
• Ravenhill, Belfast – 18,196
• Tallaght Stadium, Dublin – 10,500
• Turner’s Cross, Cork – 7,385
• Dalymount Park, Dublin – 4,500
• Tolka Park, Dublin – 5,400
• Windsor Park, Belfast – 18,614

GAA County Grounds That Matter

• O’Moore Park, Laois – 22,000
• Cusack Park, Ennis – 20,100
• Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon – 18,890
• Markievicz Park, Sligo – 18,558
• Athletic Grounds, Armagh – 18,500
• Brewster Park, Fermanagh – 18,000
• Healy Park, Omagh – 17,636
• MacCumhaill Park, Donegal – 17,500

The Hidden Gems

• Malahide Cricket Club – 11,500
• Stormont, Belfast – 6,000
• Morton Stadium, Santry – 8,800
• The Showgrounds, Sligo – 3,873
• Corrigan Park, Antrim – 3,700

Final Word

Whether it’s a packed Croke Park on All-Ireland Final day, Munster under the lights in Thomond, or the tight terraces of Dalymount Park, Ireland’s stadiums are woven into the fabric of our national identity. These venues are more than just bricks and mortar — they’re the stages where dreams are made, hearts are broken, and legends are born.

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In a devastating turn of events, Brazil’s Neymar was forced to leave the field in tears during the 2-0 loss to Uruguay, signaling a potential serious knee injury.

The Challenging Moment:

Landing awkwardly while contesting the ball with Nicolas de la Cruz, the 31-year-old forward, now with Al-Hilal, cast a shadow over Brazil’s performance in Montevideo.

Concerns Among Teammates:

Expressing concern, Brazil captain Casemiro spoke to Globo television, stating, “He’s an important player for us; we’re very fond of him. He’s been suffering a lot from injuries, and when he starts to pick up the pace, he gets injured again.”

Uruguay’s Victory and Nunez’s Impact:
Uruguay, led by former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, secured a historic win against Brazil with Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez scoring the opener with a header and assisting De la Cruz for their second goal.

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Forrester scored the Super Saint’s only goal of the game in extra time – a spectacular solo goal towards the end of the first half of the extra 30 minutes.

The goalscorer also slotted his penalty past Bohemians goalkeeper James Talbot as his side won on penalties following Bohs’ equaliser on the other side of the break in extra time.

Chris Forrester said after signing his deal: “I am delighted to be back at the club and thankful for another opportunity to play for a club that means so much to me. I can’t wait to get going again next season”

Forrester is currently in his second spell with the Athletic, returning to the side in 2019 after spending time abroad with Peterborough United and Aberdeen.

The 28-year-old had initially joined the Inchicore side from Bohs after working his way up the ranks at Dalymount Park.

He now commits his future to the Saints, whom he has come to be revered by for his performances.

Club Chairman Garrett Kelleher said: “Chris has had a great season with the club and is thoroughly deserving of his nomination for PFAI Player of the Season, he will continue to be an integral part of the club over the next few years.

“On behalf of the board and myself we are excited about what the future holds for the club with personalities like Chris here.”

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The injury means that Elliott will not feature for Lee Carsley’s side against Kosovo on Tuesday night in the final U21 European Championship qualifier of the September international window.

It is understood that his withdrawal from the Young Lions squad is precautionary and that his situation will be assessed at Liverpool, per The Athletic.

Elliott picked up a minor muscle injury in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Anfield before the side dispersed for the first international break of the season.

The youngster impressed against Chelsea in the 1-1 draw at Anfield and was expected to hold on to his starting berth when he returned from international duty.

Liverpool’s first fixture in two weeks is scheduled for Sunday, September 12 against Leeds and the side could be without the young midfielder for the tie if he does not recover.

The 18-year-old has started the last two games for Liverpool and came on as a substitute in the 3-0 opening weekend victory over newly-promoted Norwich.

The star joins forwards Roberto Firmino and Takumi Minamino on the club’s injury list – Minamino also saw his international duty end early due to injury.

Minamino’s injury is understood to be of more concern to the club than the one Elliott is currently carrying.

On top of this, the current situation in Guinea has placed doubts over whether Naby Keita will be able to return to Liverpool in time for their game against Leeds.

Liverpool are currently trying to get the Guinean back to Merseyside after an attempted coup led to the postponement of his side’s World Cup Qualifier against Morocco.

Spaniard Thiago Alcantara will be expected to fill Harvey Elliott’s boots if the player is not available for the clash at Elland Road.

Liverpool travel to Leeds United’s home ground on Sunday, September 12 to play the side in their second away fixture of the season at 4:30 pm.

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The Republic of Ireland had the lion’s share of possession throughout the game but a 25-yard strike from Azerbaijani midfielder Emin Makhmudov forced Stephen Kenny’s side to chase the game in the second half.

The ever-reliable Shane Duffy headed home with three minutes to spare in normal time to share the spoils with the visitors but Ireland failed to deliver on the promise they showed on Wednesday against Portugal.

Duffy and co. started out as the better side, applying pressure on a three-man defence that appeared as if holes could be exposed in it.

However, as the half went on, Ireland’s history under Stephen Kenny of being wasteful in front of goal had another chapter added to it as the side failed to take the lead despite having several strong chances to do so.

Ireland’s 3-4-3 formation failed to impact their play positively with a midfield who struggled to keep possession and an overreliance on creativity down the right flank.

Azerbaijan got to grips with the game and started pushing back and applying pressure on the hosts’ back five.

Ireland weathered much of the storm but not without some alarming amounts of space being afforded to the opponents on the ball at times.

The half looked to be ending without a goal before Makhmudov rifled the ball past Gavin Bazunu, shocking the Aviva and putting Giovanni De Biasi’s side ahead.

De Biasi’s defensive tactics shone in the second half as the Republic of Ireland were frustrated time and time again.

The game followed the trend Azerbaijan have showcased in recent history of allowing at least twice as many shots against themselves as they took.

However, the Azerbaijani defence, namely a narrow back three and goalkeeper Sahruddin Mehemmedeliyev, held firm.

Wycombe Wanderers striker Daryl Horgan came on in place of Aaron Connolly and injected some much-needed urgency into the side.

Troy Parrott was taken off 17 minutes into the second half with Jayson Molumby on in his place.

Parrott struggled throughout the game after being placed in a deeper role than usual – it was not uncommon to see Idah centrally and Parrott behind him with no presence on the right-hand side in the final third.

Ireland got their goal with minutes to spare courtesy of Shane Duffy, who became the side’s joint top-scorer under Stephen Kenny with his equaliser – Duffy and Parrott have both scored two since Kenny’s first game in charge.

The team pushed for a winner but could not find it and come out of their first half of World Cup Qualifier fixtures with just a point to show for it.

The Republic of Ireland host Serbia on Tuesday, September 7 in the first of their reverse fixtures against their Group A opponents.

Serbia smacked Luxembourg 4-1 in the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade and have given Ireland a mountain to climb to get out of the group – although it does not seem like Stephen Kenny’s side have a chance.

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The defending SSE Airtricity League Champions were knocked out by Bohemians in the second round of the FAI Cup on Sunday.

The two sides were reduced to 10 men each after a scuffle between Bohs forward Georgie Kelly and Rovers captain Ronan Finn led to both players receiving their marching orders – Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley does not agree with Finn’s dismissal but says his side “have to accept it.”

Bradley reflected on the game and noted that he felt that it was a match of poor quality throughout.

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The two games against Mexico will both take place at Turner’s Cross in Cork with the first game scheduled for Sunday, September 5.

The second game will be played two days later on Tuesday, September 7 – squad rotations are likely.

It will be the final two games for the U17s before the first round of UEFA Under-17 European Championship qualifiers which also take place in Cork in October.

600 fans each will be able to see the Mexico games live before the side start their qualification campaign.

Colin O’Brien’s youngsters face North Macedonia, Poland and Andorra in the first round of qualifiers.

Speaking ahead of the games against Mexico, O’Brien said: “To get this level of opposition is a real huge plus for us. Mexico is a real powerhouse at this age group if you research and examine their age groups in the past couple of years they’re a World Cup standard team and that will the standard over the two games we will be playing.

“It’s a very ‘home-based squad’ and it’s the first squad we’re going to see around the Brexit situation but the players are well into their season and we’ve done a lot of home-based assessments and training camps over the last few months and a lot of games watched.”

17 of the players called up by O’Brien play for clubs on the island of Ireland, including League of Ireland sides.

Three players play abroad – midfielder Rocco Vata is in Celtic’s youth system while forwards Caden McLoughlin and Kevin Zefi line out in Villarreal and Inter Milan’s colours respectively.

“We’ve 20 players ready to represent the Republic of Ireland Under-17s against high-level opposition so the players are going to be really tested here, both collectively and individually, and it will give them a good measure to where they’re at.”

Republic of Ireland Under-17 Squad

Goalkeepers: Fintan Doherty (Derry City), Conor Walsh (Sligo Rovers)

Defenders: Luke Browne (Shelbourne), Sam Curtis (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Cathal Heffernan (Cork City), Ruadhan Kane (Klub Kildare), Daniel Kelly (Sligo Rovers), Luke O’Brien (St. Patrick’s Athletic)

Midfielders: Justin Ferizaj (Shamrock Rovers), Gavin Hodgins (Shelbourne), Darius Lipsivc (St. Patrick’s Athletic), James McManus (Bohemians), Rocco Vata (Celtic)

Forwards: Trent Kone Doherty (Derry City), Mark O’Mahony (Cork City), Caden McLoughlin (Villareal), Liam Murray (Cork City), Alex Nolan (Shelbourne), Franco Umeh (Cork City), Kevin Zefi (Inter Milan)

Fixtures – International Friendlies (all times are Irish times)

Sunday, September 5 | Republic of Ireland U17 v Mexico U17, Turner’s Cross, Cork, KO: 7 pm
Tuesday, September 7 | Republic of Ireland U17 v Mexico U17, Turner’s Cross, Cork KO: 12 pm

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The Sheffield United centre-back beat out his clubmate Enda Stevens and Tottenham Hotspur right-back Matt Doherty to claim the prize at the 31st FAI International Football Awards.

He takes the prize after David McGoldrick, who was the national team’s Player of the Year in 2019.

Denise O’Sullivan won the Women’s Player of the Year award for the second time in her career, edging out Arsenal’s Katie McCabe and North Carolina Courage’s Diane Caldwell (who was with German club SC Sand for the 2019-20 season).

O’Sullivan was previously the Women’s national team’s Player of the Year for 2015.

West Bromwich Albion’s Dara O’Shea was awarded the Young Player of the Year award after his breakthrough into the Irish side under Stephen Kenny.

O’Shea earned more votes than new West Brom teammate Jayson Molumby and Norwich City starlet Adam Idah to receive the award.

Former Republic of Ireland internationals John Giles and Paula Gorham were inducted into the FAI Hall of Fame.

Explaining the decisions, the FAI said on their website: “An Ireland captain and manager during his illustrious career, Giles is regarded as one of the greatest ambassadors of Irish football as he helped to transform the game as a player with 59 caps, as an international manager for seven years and as a driving force for change in the domestic game during his time as player-manager at Shamrock Rovers.

“Part of the Dundalk Ladies team who played against Corinthians Nomads in a famous ground-breaking game in 1970, Gorham scored a hat-trick on her Ireland Women’s Senior debut, the Irish team’s first official game in 1973 away to Wales. She went on to earn several more caps.”

Ellen Molloy won the Goal of the Year award for her strike against Iceland while playing for the Ireland Women’s U17s.

Jack Taylor was awarded the U21 Player of the Year award ahead of teammates Darragh Leahy and Joshua Kayode.

The SSE Airtricity League Player of the Year for the 2020 season is Jack Byrne, who has since moved to Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia.

The Special Merit Award was posthumously given to Liam Farrell, who was a founding member of North Dublin Schoolboy League and Chairman of the Schools Football Association of Ireland.

31st FAI International Football Awards

Men’s Senior Player of the Year – John Egan

Women’s Senior Player of the Year – Denise O’Sullivan

Young International Player of the Year – Dara O’Shea

International Goal of the Year – Ellen Molloy (Ireland Women’s Under-17 v Iceland)

Under 21s Player of the Year – Jack Taylor

SSE Airtricity League Player of the Year – Jack Byrne

Special Merit – Liam Farrell

Hall of Fame – John Giles / Paula Gorham

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Wesley Fofana fractured his right fibula after he was on the receiving end of a tackle from Villarreal attacker Fernando Nino.

“Obviously, to lose a player with such an injury in a friendly game was devastating for us – and for the player himself, more importantly,” Rodgers said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports. “He had been very, very good over the course of pre-season and was looking forward to the beginning of the season.”

Rodgers drafted squad player Daniel Amartey into the centre of his defence for the Community Shield win over Manchester City on Saturday.

He was impressed with the Ghanaian’s performance beside Caglar Soyuncu as they kept a clean sheet against the likes of Riyad Mahrez.

However, the Leicester City boss is interested in strengthening the position with another signing after losing Fofana for a substantial period of time.

Rodgers told Sky Sports: “Hopefully we can. It’s an area where we are a little light with Jonny out as well for a period of time with a foot injury.

“With all the games we’re going to have over the course of the season, we need to have cover in those positions.

“It is something the club are currently looking at.”

Leicester has an impressive recent history when it comes to recruitment, with the injured French defender being one of the examples of this.

Their stellar recruitment led to the famous Premier League-winning season of 2015/16 as £5 million signing N’Golo Kante and £450,000 addition Riyad Mahrez shone alongside other cut-price players to take the side to the top of English football.

The trend has continued under Rodgers with the club having a net spend of £48.9 million under the former Liverpool and Celtic boss.

That is less than Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Leeds – all of whom they finished above last season.

Rodgers is involved in the recruitment process at the club and hailed their ability to find players suited to the club.

He added: “I think at this moment in time, Leicester City is a very attractive place to be. If you want to develop as a player, work in world-class training facilities and be a part of a real community club with a family feel, then this is a great place for you.”

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