Following the completion of a tender process, Glasgiven, have been appointed as the main contractor and work is already underway, in what is expected to be an 18-to-24-month construction period.
The Hollystown site was acquired by Dublin GAA from Glenveagh Homes in November 2020, and once complete, will be used as a training and playing hub for Dublin clubs, schools and community groups, as well as being used by Dublin teams.
Planning permission for the 23-acre site, including the Hollystown clubhouse, was awarded in 2022 and the Centre of Participation will provide much needed green fields and facilities in an area of north county Dublin, that is under huge pressure to provide access to GAA pitches and resources.
“The facility at Hollystown will be a huge asset to Gaelic games in Dublin. Our clubs and our schools will benefit, for sure,” continued O’Sullivan, “but we have been equally committed from the start of this project in 2020, under Mick Seavers’ stewardship, that this would be a much broader asset that would stretch beyond Gaelic games alone and would also benefit the community.”
Currently, the 88 clubs in Dublin use 412 pitches across the county, yet only 30% are under club control, with 53% owned by local authorities and the remaining pitches owned by colleges and schools.
That pressure on club pitches is compounded when you consider that nearly one-quarter of the island’s total population and one fifth of children under five years of age now reside in Dublin.
With membership continuing to grow in Dublin, and over 120,000 members across all four codes, the access to pitches is not matching that growth.
Facilities like Hollystown, and the planned development at the Spawell, are a step in the right direction to help alleviate that issue.
“Hollystown will have the community at its heart, giving more boys and girls the opportunity to play our games”, said O’Sullivan, “and we are very grateful to the role of Central Council of the GAA, Government agencies, Fingal County Council, as well as Glenveagh Homes, Glasgiven and Egis, for their support in getting us to this point.
“We couldn’t have done it without them and we are very grateful to have representatives from all here with us today.”
Aside from the four floodlit pitches, there will be refurbishment to the existing clubhouse, as well as an extension, delivering six dressing rooms with a gym and treatment area to be built on the first floor.
A separate indoor training facility comprising a 30 metre by 20 metre pitch with a team tactics space is also planned, while outdoors, there will be a stand for 500 spectators, as well as a walking track, with outdoor exercise equipment along the route, around the perimeter of the facility.
Also speaking at the event, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers TD, said, “It’s really fantastic to see the development of this major facility for Gaelic games now underway here in Dublin West. It will benefit not just local clubs, but clubs from all across the county who are responding to increased pressure on their facilities.
“I want to acknowledge the really strong focus that Dublin GAA has placed on ensuring that these facilities maximise participation at all levels.”
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