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Stadium

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Croke Park Residents Meeting

Thursday 24th July 2025

Chairperson: Noeline Blackwell

1. Attendees

  • Sgt. Reynolds – AGS Events Office
  • Billy O’Keeffe (BOK) – Community Liaison
  • Tony McGuinness (TMcG) – Croke Park Operations
  • Brian Conlon (BC) – Croke Park Operations
  • Edel Smyth (ES) – Minute Taker
  • Stephen – Belvedere Youth Club
  • Natalie – Chairperson, Mud Island Community Garden
  • Brian Matheson (BM) – MCD Productions
  • Peter McKenna (PMcK) – Stadium Director, Croke Park
  • Trevor Maher – Dublin City Council (DCC) Waste Management
  • Residents and community members in attendance

2. Welcome and Opening Remarks

NB outlined her role, to facilitate dialogue between residents, Croke Park, statutory agencies, and promoters. Emphasis placed on respectful engagement and concise questions to allow broad participation.

3. Community Updates

3.1 Upcoming Fixtures and Events

BOK provided an overview of upcoming GAA fixtures and community events. Noted high demand for the GAA Community Night at the Museum (oversubscribed; will be repeated). Employment opportunities: approx. 1,000 casual staff employed locally within 1.5 km of the stadium.

3.2 Community Fund Recipients

Natalie (Mud Island Community Garden): Shared ongoing activities (gardening, workshops, classes, cultural events). Invited community support. Upcoming Lughnasa celebration on 8 August with poetry, music, and dance.
Stephen (Belvedere Youth Club): Outlined English language programmes, volunteer engagement (40–50 active volunteers), and on Croke Park funding for sustainability.

3.3 Garda Youth Awards

Recognition of local youth initiatives including a mural project at Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station.

4. Residents’ Concerns and Questions

Key issues raised by residents included:
- Matchday & Concert Disruptions: Lack of barriers and insufficient road closures around Clonliffe/Charlville Avenue.
- Public Urination: Persistent problem; requests for additional portaloos and enforcement.
- Rubbish & Glass: Significant littering noted on St Anne’s Road and other residential streets post-events.
- Access Restrictions: Residents reported being refused vehicular and pedestrian access during events, including distressing incidents with Gardaí.
- Ticket Allocation: Dissatisfaction with fairness and transparency of residents’ ticket distribution.
- Litter Management: Concerns raised about insufficient bins, lack of manual street cleaning, and ineffective response from DCC/CP.
- Concert-Specific Issues: Questions regarding crowd behaviour, security cordons, and noise/pyrotechnics.

6. Responses from Stakeholders

6.1 MCD Productions

Detailed profiles of upcoming concerts (Oasis, Robbie Williams). Assurances regarding crowd behaviour and enhanced ticket pre-check/security. Additional toilets to be placed in response to feedback.

6.2 Garda Síochána (AGS)

Sgt. Reynolds acknowledged complaints of resident mistreatment. Encouraged formal reporting. Barriers and Garda deployment to be 'dot mapped' for improved coverage. Committed to reviewing road closures, coach parking, and portaloos placement. Clarified that no injunction exists for Croke Park Hotel access, contrary to rumours.

6.3 Dublin City Council (DCC)

Trevor Maher confirmed increased staffing for litter management (36 operatives including additional handcarts). Commitment to more bins and increased cleaning frequency, including post-event hand-backs. Issues at Whitworth Terrace and Portland Place to be escalated to Housing Section.

6.4 Croke Park Stadium

PMcK apologised for negative resident experiences (notably on Ardilaun Road). Pledged to review litter, pedestrian access, responsiveness to complaints, and resident engagement.

7. Agreed Actions

  1. Review and adjust locations of portaloos for matchdays and concerts.
  2. Ensure post-event clean-up and monitoring on St Anne’s Road.
  3. MCD to review residents’ access criteria past ticket checkpoints.
  4. AGS to clarify access protocols within the inner cordon.
  5. Address long-standing debris and cleaning neglect at Whitworth Terrace.
  6. AGS to review Traffic Management System based on resident feedback.
  7. Improve communication with local community groups and responsiveness to complaints.
  8. DCC to increase number of bins and provide maps of cleaning schedules.
  9. Escalate maintenance issues at Portland Place to Housing and review bus parking.
  10. Croke Park to develop a cohesive multi-stakeholder action plan addressing recurring concerns.

8. Closing Remarks

PMcK thanked residents, DCC, AGS, and MCD representatives for their contributions. Apologised for unresolved issues and pledged a more coordinated response moving forward.
Meeting concluded at 9:00 pm.