Hurling to return to St Brendan's Park

[Lone Shark]

At various stages I've been taken to task for being anti-Shannonbridge, anti-Rhode, anti-Tullamore, and now Birr is added to the list. All without trying to be negative towards any of them. (I've probably forgotten a few in there as well!)

You'd think I'd learn to stay quiet ....

[llkj]

you remind me of a young Walt Kowalski, LS. A good balance of anger towards pretty much everything, rather than a particular hatred of one club in particular

[Buck Face]

LS - (Your final point? I doubt it!)

The Birr ‘case’ is far from being ‘hidden behind a whole load of regulation’ as you claim it to be. However, and I repeat, there is no cause for anyone to make any case until there are official moves to try to move hurling permanently to Tullamore in the same way that I wouldn’t expect anyone to start making a case for keeping inter-county football or county football finals in Tullamore. If the appetite is there at County Board level to try to wrestle hurling from St Brendan’s Park then you can be assured that you will hear a case loud and clear. Hopefully common sense will prevail and it won’t come to that.

And it would be wrong to assume that this debate is being driven or coming from Birr GAA. This debate is going on in Offaly since people with an interest in hurling, and certainly not just in Birr GAA circles, realised that there may be the intention at County Board level to move hurling permanently to Tullamore. Birr GAA’s first involvement was a very welcome one as recent as Tuesday night last when they strengthened peoples resolve by showing that not only are there strong feelings and emotion out there but that there is also a paper trail to back them up if necessary.

Once more on the monetary side of things- of course we couldn’t continue to be 100 grand in debt every year and the books need to be balanced. However re-establishing hurling in Birr will certainly not break us when we can adjust the 15% or 6,000 maximum reward that we have under our control when it comes to playing our games at different venues. Perhaps people on here are right and it won’t even need slight tweaking and may even create revenue. Remember we are not trying something new here, we are reverting to the way things were run previously.

I believe we should first seek to do what’s best for games in the County and then balance our books accordingly and not the other way round. Why stand still and endeavor to balance the books when a positive action for our games alone may even improve things financially? We will have to just agree to disagree on this one.

You still expect Birr GAA to volunteer to take a risk on attendances in the current climate and turn down the reasonable reward being presented to them? And all that, as you say, ‘just to take away a notion’? Like I said earlier, this is completely unrealistic and bordering on laughable. Anyway, I don’t care what Birr GAA’s motives are, I care what is best for the County.

As you’ve mentioned him, it is not for Andy Gallagher to decide whether or hurling is moved permanently to Tullamore or not. If it were as simple as ‘one is free versus we’d have to write a cheque for the other one’ then it could be left to him or any four year old to decide and we could even just play ALL the matches in OCP. However that is just a way too simplified way of looking at it, proven by the current debate.

As for the pitch drainage, you earlier wrote (1) The pitch needs to prove itself over a winter but now a winter has nothing to do with it? You’ve also gone so far now as to want a pitch that is playable when other pitches aren’t? They should get you on the pitch at half-time to set things up for the kids as you’d be very good at it! Seriously, this is not an issue, as I’ve said, it either drains or it doesn’t. In the worst case scenario we’d have to prolong the current temporary arrangement until sorted. From what I’ve seen, we have nothing to worry about.

It’s not good enough to say that you are not in a position to discuss the minor letter further. You claimed and re-assured me that the Minor management stated ‘that the players were more familiar with Birr’ which I find astonishing. I see no reason as to why you can’t back up your claim. In order to be as certain as you claim to be you must have seen the letter and remember the wording otherwise you are acting on hearsay. So go ahead and give us the wording, which will cause no harm to anyone, prove your point and stop me from being strongly suspicious of more damaging hearsay at play in Offaly GAA circles. I’d appreciate it.

Now, bring on Limerick – Uibh Fhaili abu!

[Buck Face]

Contrary to the out of date and misleading thread stating 'Hurling to stay in Tullamore' I am compelled (and happy) to report that the Co Board Management Committee's 'proposal' that club senior hurling finals and National Hurling league fixtures be played in Tullamore in the future, with a possible option of playing some National Hurling games in Birr, was not ratified at last Tuesday's County Board meeting. In fact, it seemed evident at the meeting that there is a groundswell of support strongly in favour of re-instating hurling finals and National League hurling games to St. Brendan's Park.

The Management Committee's minuted 'proposal' was countered by the Birr delegates on the floor. Following on from this several delegates from various clubs spoke, mainly in favour of returning hurling to Birr with others stating that a decision should not be taken lightly and more time should be given to the issue before any definitive decision be made. Finally, it was agreed that all parties with an expression of interest would be heard by the management committee and that a proposal agreeable to all parties concerned would be then returned to the floor at a later date for full approval.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

Contrary to the out of date and misleading thread stating 'Hurling to stay in Tullamore' I am compelled (and happy) to report that the Co Board Management Committee's 'proposal' that club senior hurling finals and National Hurling league fixtures be played in Tullamore in the future, with a possible option of playing some National Hurling games in Birr, was not ratified at last Tuesday's County Board meeting. In fact, it seemed evident at the meeting that there is a groundswell of support strongly in favour of re-instating hurling finals and National League hurling games to St. Brendan's Park.

The Management Committee's minuted 'proposal' was countered by the Birr delegates on the floor. Following on from this several delegates from various clubs spoke, mainly in favour of returning hurling to Birr with others stating that a decision should not be taken lightly and more time should be given to the issue before any definitive decision be made. Finally, it was agreed that all parties with an expression of interest would be heard by the management committee and that a proposal agreeable to all parties concerned would be then returned to the floor at a later date for full approval.

Thanks for that Buck Face, much appreciated.
Keep em coming.

[blue74]

so what will be the outcome? i heard that birr had an inspection last week from a safety consultant with a view to giving a definite capacity limit... the report is to go to croke park. I suspect a lot will depend on the limit imposed. a capacity of at least 7 to 8000 would be needed to get a county final these days.

[Over The Black Spot]

so what will be the outcome? i heard that birr had an inspection last week from a safety consultant with a view to giving a definite capacity limit... the report is to go to croke park. I suspect a lot will depend on the limit imposed. a capacity of at least 7 to 8000 would be needed to get a county final these days.

From what I heard over the weekend blue, capacity limit of around the 6,000 mark has been given by the safety inspector (leinster council i think) upon the completion of all works. Would probably be able to cater for most games but a capacity that low means you'll always be taking a chance fixing a big game such as a county final or even a qualifier for there so we might be about to see an end to this argument for good.

[southoffaly]

the wink wink nudge nudge , politics alive and well .heard he gave 5,500 . all due respects thats utter bullshite that doesnt hold water . the stand alone it was said when it first opened could hold 4000 , so allowing that it could hold 2500 ,easily do this , how can any body say the rest of the terracing can only hold 3500 . nonscence

[Bord na Mona man]

Stadium capacity is not just purely about the number of seats or square meterage of terracing.

Off the top of my head, I'd say access for ambulances, safety barriers, passageways, entrances, exits and other facilities would feed into the calculation. If the ground needs to be evacuated in a hurry, or any other sort of unforeseen event occurs, then its better to be sensible about the number of people you allow in.

The days of packing people in, heaving and swaying on a terrace are gone.

[townman]

i take it you didn't see Hill 16 on sunday or thurles on munster final day or pairc ui Choimh when full

[Plain of the Herbs]

BnM is along the right lines. The permitted capacity for a stadium is based on how long it takes for the place to be evacuated in an emergency.

It would be a pity to see Birr GAA spend the money they did with for no increase in capacity at the end of it all, as seems to be the case now.

I’ve been on the new terracing in Birr and it seems to me the only way off the terracing is down a set of narrow steps at the corner-flag, and I presume it is the same down at the far end. That would get quite congested at the end of a match as everyone attempted to leave at the same time. Compare that to Tullamore where there is a wide passage at the back of the terrace with ease of movement along that passage to the external exit. Also, there are the same amount of exit gates in Birr as there were previously (4, one in each corner).

I’d say it would improve the capacity of the terrace to construct a stairs at the back of each aisle from the top of the terrace to ground-level, maybe two on each side of the terrace (4 in all). They might also need to bore the external walls to make exit gates adjacent to these stairs.

[Lone Shark]

i take it you didn't see Hill 16 on sunday or thurles on munster final day or pairc ui Choimh when full

I've always found that the crowd moves in and out of Hill 16, even when packed to the gills, very easily. I've never been in Thurles for a capacity crowd occasion so I won't speak on that issue, and yeah, Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a disaster. If you're over five foot two it'll take you ten minutes to get out of your seat, never mind getting out of the stadium. The thing there is that there probably isn't the political bravery out there to reduce the official capacity of the Páirc and make a lot of enemies in the process.

Comparing any other ground to there is into "two wrongs make a right" country.

[Over The Black Spot]

BnM is along the right lines. The permitted capacity for a stadium is based on how long it takes for the place to be evacuated in an emergency.

It would be a pity to see Birr GAA spend the money they did with for no increase in capacity at the end of it all, as seems to be the case now.

I’ve been on the new terracing in Birr and it seems to me the only way off the terracing is down a set of narrow steps at the corner-flag, and I presume it is the same down at the far end. That would get quite congested at the end of a match as everyone attempted to leave at the same time. Compare that to Tullamore where there is a wide passage at the back of the terrace with ease of movement along that passage to the external exit. Also, there are the same amount of exit gates in Birr as there were previously (4, one in each corner).

I’d say it would improve the capacity of the terrace to construct a stairs at the back of each aisle from the top of the terrace to ground-level, maybe two on each side of the terrace (4 in all). They might also need to bore the external walls to make exit gates adjacent to these stairs.

They don't even open the gate at the town end of the stand, which would be a major help in getting the crowd out of the ground quickly and safely after games. Indeed, maybe they would be best served in having this, and the gate at the opposite end, as the only access to the stand. I prefer the freedom of going in and being able to pick between the stand and the terrace dependent on the weather, but if you want to be a county ground, you've got to look and act like a county ground and this is the norm in most places. In keeping with that, there should be a seperate gate for players and officials entrance at the dressing rooms, with access to the dressing rooms not possible from the terraced area.

Steps from the back of the terrace are a good idea, as would turnstile entrance and exit gates in the County Arms corner. It would also encourage people to park in Tesco and access the ground from that end. Obviously, Tesco would not be overly happy but more parking with easier access to the ground would help portray an image of a stadium, rather than a run of the mill club ground.

A few small changes like these and maybe they could realistically be the county hurling ground, with all parties that need satisfying in terms of health and sfaety and so on, satisfied. If the likes of Kilmallock or Ennis can host games, then so surely can Birr.

Actually, just thinking of something (there may be a logical reason so if anyone knows feel free to point it out). If Nenagh can host league games as well as county and divisional finals, with the use of 2 grass banks and pretty basic facilities, then why can't Birr?

[Lone Shark]

If I'm not mistaken, Nenagh wouldn't get anything bigger than a North Tipp final or a league match where 2000 to 3000 would be the height of the crowd.

[townman]

but it was still able to hold the crowd for matches this years league after winning the all ireland, so with offaly off the top table for a while
now their would be no problem with crowds at league county games or club finals at Birr.