TÁNAISTE EAMON GILMORE today announced a grant of €600,000 towards the redevelopment of the Ruislip GAA grounds in London as part of the Emigrant Support Programme of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The project was launched today in Croke Park with the government grant helping to fund a €5m development of the home of London GAA in the north-west of the city.
The GAA at central level will provide €1.4m for the new facility with the outstanding balance being met by London GAA and its clubs.
The construction on the proposed development will commence in September 2014 and it is planned that the refurbished facility will re-open in time for London’s Connacht championship opener in May 2015.
A new covered stand will be built with terracing on the opposite side of the ground. The new 3,900 capacity facility will also house the administrative office of London GAA.
“Our investment in the new facilities at Ruislip recognises the central role of the GAA in the Irish Emigrant community in London”, remarked the Táinaiste.
“It’s often a first port of call for our newer emigrants, and a home from home for others. The development of Ruislip will make it a better place to play and to watch Gaelic Games in London and can only help reinforce the strong sense of community which is so evident amongst the many generations of Irish people living there.”
GAA President Liam O’Neill welcomed the development.
“We are delighted to confirm details of this exciting new development which will serve the needs of London GAA and its clubs for many years to come. Rarely, if ever, has there existed a higher level of awareness of the rich heritage of our games in London – thanks in no small part to the exploits of the county’s footballers and hurlers in recent times.
“I would like to thank the Department and An Tanáiste Eamon Gilmore in particular for their support of this project and I wish London every success with it.”
Funding was also announced for several other overseas GAA projects. Asian clubs in Myanmar, China and Hong Kong will benefit along with the Asian county board. Queensland in Australia, the Middle East county board and South Africa Gaels will also receive funding.
In Canada there will be funding for clubs like Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver while European clubs in Vienna, Munich, Moscow and Brussels are also amongst those that will benefit.
Can this not be paid for from the Garth Brook’s concerts?
The GAA HQ are giving 1.4million and the rest will be funded by the clubs over there. So the game is essentially paying 4.4 million. It’s fantastic that the GAA see how important the game abroad is. Having lived abroad for four years, the GAA was one way to meet new people and stay healthy. Great to see the game spreading to Myanmar. Hope they get some nice jerseys and a few locals involved. Nothing better than some locals playing the game and the party afterwards. Great stuff and feck all ye naysayers. This will help so many abroad.
I’ve no issue with the project itself, I think it’s fantastic with the huge Irish diaspora (which is growing still) in London. My issue is that the government seem to be dropping cool millions here and there (yes I know it’s €600k) on projects such as this and foreign aid when our basic services here in Ireland are in a complete jocker. Straight away this money could improve the lot of homeless people, the elderly, free up hospital beds. So, I’m actually a yeasayer, but it’s yay to where the money is needed, I demand more responsibility from the public servants in Dáil Éireann running this country when it comes to expenditure, a shiny new stadium would not be top of my list.
Children going to schools hungry and sitting in prefabs grab all association have enough money of there own
I hear what you’re saying but the Emigrant Support Budget is around 5 million. This money is coming from that to help the Irish abroad and I believe it is good value for money. Keeping the hugely spread diaspora close to their roots allow the chance for those who want, to return when things pick up. They will add to the value and experience to this country and many send money home as it is. 600k will do nothing to help the health service. The 100 million spent on taxing people for basic services would be helpful. The money spent on all the ridiculous committees would be a great saving. This is a small drop in the ocean when compared to the extreme corruption, forced austerity and loss of resources. Helping Irish people abroad is not a bad thing and will benefit this country.
The clubs here are struggling for funding as it is. So I don’t know how they expect us to foot the bill on this as well. A Club recently folded due to funding here.
@ann buggy I understand what you are saying Ann but while the GAA do make a lot of mistakes they encourage young boys and girls to keep fit and active and they do not look for money of families who have not got it.The local clubs through out Ireland provide a great outlet for every one rich or poor and all the money collected gets put back into the game.
That’s it Paul. As a teacher I see the amount of voluntary work the GAA do in schools, both primary and secondary. It’s not their fault that the Education system, along with Heath and Justice are a complete shambles. It is down to the GAA though that a lot of young people have a social, health and even economic outlet.
Imagine how nuch we woyld spend if all the people in clubs of the gaa had no excercise
A grant? For a development abroad? For one if the wealthiest organisations in the land? While people are evicted from their homes?
That’s a joke the GAA are well able to fund that themselves.theres plenty of athletic clubs,swimming,boxing,soccer,rugby clubs etc that could do with that money.the GAA shouldn’t be getting any grants from the government
Unfair comment.
In my view this is positive. The GAA is a lifeline for many irish in a new country
@jaymie
Why shouldn’t they get any grants? The GAA do more for communities and the social fabric across Ireland than any other sporting code. They also return more income to the Exchequer than the other sporting codes. None of their top players got tax-breaks on income like the rugby players got. As Larry K said the GAA is an absolute lifeline and a great support for many Irish people that are living abroad.
Yeh, GAA stands for …Get Absolutely Asswholed
Believe whatever you want about the GAA.they should find it themselves.how much are they making through sponsorship,advertising,gate receipts,jersey sales,and concert sales?its not right at all
Fair play to the gaa…some people on here just don’t like to see progress
In fact the GAA/Croke park return very little if anything at all to the state. They are registered as a charitable organisation so are in effect Tax Exempt.
They do of course pay rates on Croke Park but they are looking to have them reduced.
I don’t mind progress if they pay for it themselves.why should my taxes be paying for it when the GAA are well able to fund it themselves
I’d prefer to see tangible progress here in Ireland to be honest, not on a stadium I’ll never see.
@Hairy baby, To be very fair rugby does a great deal also for the communities around Ireland that have clubs. I travel around for a lot for domestic matches and I get to see first hand the great work that these clubs do and for most of them it is on fraction of the money that the GAA clubs have. Rugby too brings in a great deal of money to the exchequer through inter-provincial matches and also internationals. Did the GAA not come out there a few weeks ago and say that Croke Park is now debt free??? So where is all the profits from their inter-county games and concerts going to go now????
@paul meaney,
I don’t deny that rugby and other sporting clubs do a lot for the communities they are in but they do not contribute as much as the GAA clubs. I think you’ll find that most rugby clubs have better facilities than most GAA clubs. I won’t deny either that rugby brings in a great deal of money to the Exchequer but bear in mind that the IRFU and the FAI got more government grant money for Landsdowne Road/Aviva Stadium than the GAA got for Croke Park. Most of the profits from inter-county games and concerts is dispersed to the various provincial councils, county boards and eventually makes it’s way down to the clubs. There are very few paid employees within the GAA compared to the other codes like rugby and soccer..
@Terry McMahon
You obviously have no clue about either the structure of the GAA or how it returns money to the state. Of course they are looking to have the rates in Croke Park reduced much the same as any of the other sporting organisations are trying to reduce their rates and much like the businesses such as shops, pubs, hotels, car-parks etc up and down the country as trying to have their rates reduced as well..
Hairy baby why do GAA people always have to bring up the aviva?if you compared the amount of money the GAA received from the government over the last 30 years and compared it to what the IRFU and FAI received combined the GAA would still have received substantially more.the grab all association is well able to fund itself it should not be entitled to get any grants when they’re making so much money from concerts etc..
More GAA clubs in Cork alone than there are rugby clubs in the 32 counties. Pointless comparing the GAA with a minority sport.
What kinda argument is that?if the GAA is so big why do they need funding then?they generate enough revenue through ticket sales sponsorship holding music concerts etc.its the minority sports that need funding.and give rugby 10 years it won’t be a “minority sport”it’s already more
popular than soccer
I agree that gaa should have plenty to fund some of these projects themselves. One of the the reasons the gaa is so financially stable though is because their games are so well supported and obviously very popular. Plus the gaa is our national sport so they probably are entitled to as much if not more funding from our government than other sports. Gaa allowed soccer and rugby into croke park when they were stuck. The chances of the opposite happening would be zero. I’d say it must have killed the elitist rugby blazers to have to grovel to croke park for a stadium
I would imagine that GAA couldn’t be played in Lansdowne Road anyway as the pitch wouldn’t be big enough for GAA!
Obviously, but you couldn’t see it happening in a rugby club either where the space is available etc.
Soccer is the most popular participant sport in the country ahead of Gaelic football, hurling (incl camogie), hockey and rugby in that order.
The subtle point that was lost on you is that the GAA provide social, sporting, health and cultural facilities bridging class and geographical boundaries unlike the other sports. The Government has long since abdicated it’s responsibility to provide these facilities so I think the state is the net beneficiary in the State-GAA relationship.
You compared Rugby to the GAA in terms of providing services to communities and you seem to think rugby is more popular than soccer. Enjoy life your middle to upper class tree lined suburban bubble – ignorance is bliss I guess.
That was a response to Jaymie obviously.
Have you seen the aviva anytime the soccer team play?have you seen pubs when the soccer team play?compare that to when the Irish rugby team play?every club be it soccer rugby running boxing cycling provide that service to the community get down of your high horse thinking the GAA is special in doing that.im by no means middle class I live in Cavan and would be working class the majority of guys I play rugby with are working class or farmers.
Any one would think Gilmore is paying for it himself out of his own pocket. Great to see our national game getting more money but Gilmore would not put his hand in his pocket to buy an ice cream.
They are taking the piss again , surely .
Spend it on something worthwhile like trying to solve the homeless problem around the country .
Let the GAA pay for it themselves , in full .
Next they’ll get a grant to build a headquarters in Dubai FFS
London GAA richly deserves this support with their stadium upgrade from our government. At least our emigrants can rely on this strong home-from-home community based link with the homeland.
There’s a good chance the building contract will involve an irish input, so much of the investment could ultimately be recycled back into our economy.
Maybe the time is ripe now to grant all Irish citizens living abroad the right to vote in National elections. Now that would be a sure way of permanently connecting with persons forced to emigrate due to lack of opportunity at home.
Via Electronic voting…?
Maybe.!
They couldn’t get it wrong a second time, could they, given developments in IT since first debacle with those voting machines.
Don’t you know when you emigrate you may aswell be dead and that your not suppose to come back or any of your kids!
Feck the government, the gaa is for the people and owned by the people, this is even more so in clubs abroad, croke park and the government can keep their hands off, gaa clubs will thrive wherever irish people are. There is nothing like the special atmosphere in a club away from home.
It is good to see some support for the Irish on the mainland. 14 million Britons claim Irish descent.
What “mainland” are you talking about Pickart?
What mainland?
where is the mainland? France?
Tha “mainland” is continental Europe.
Nice to see so many here happy to see an Irish organisation getting help from the Irish government….. Not. Nice to see peoples opinions on Irish emigration hasn’t changed once you go your gone don’t come back! Remember how many families were helped in the decades past by their children in Britain and America sending money back when they could hardly survive in devs utopia? It think it’s more than deserved only up to London gaa to get it built!
Very true. Even now I know people sending money home. There’s a strange ambivalence to the Irish abroad here. Once out if the country it’s a good riddance attitude that would make you wonder. The GAA helped me settle abroad and the Irish community were far more welcoming than the crowd at home now. I came back a year or two too early as there’s only part time work but some people even begrudge me that. They think because they stuck it out (on the dole usually) they deserve something. Horrible attitudes everywhere.
Only want ya if you have a few pounds to spend and think because your are in the likes of London that you must be rich when they forget how high the cost of living is compared to Ireland I could rent a 3 bed house in my town for the same price of a tiny box room here in London
Throwing Apples into an orchard!
That money would have been better spent in this country aiding projects for clubs in this country
Your one ann is talking through her hole
Way to outline your side of the argument!
Absolutely effin’ outrageous. They had over seventy million of tax payers money just to build their stadium. I agree with Dungeon Master – plenty of revenue is coming in, let them spend some of their own money for a change.
@ Sheik Yahbouti
The IRFU and the FAI got more tax payers money to fund the Aviva than the GAA got for Croke Park..
More of our taxes well spent. NOT
As the GAA will benefit from the development let them pay for it with money from the Croke Park gigs this summer.
Gilmore is quick to spend money abroad and cut the help to the homeless, sick, disabled, old and disadvantaged in Ireland. That is Labour’s way!
panem et circenses!
I’d prefer if taxpayer’s panem stayed in this country. The same people saying this is great for the diaspora will be getting their knickers in a knot over foreign aid for people homeless and starviing.
Let the GAA fund their own projects and keep that 600k for nurses or SNAs
Monday moaners out in force on this thread. Never happy.
Oh ya we should all agree like sheep, look where that got us
Begrudgers the lot of ya.
Politicians should not be allowed access to slush funds. This is crazy. How is granting €600k to a football stadium in london help the homeless Irish in cricklewood? Gilmore and the Labour party are just a soft FG.
I would like to see the GAA providing much needed financial assistance towards upgrading a number of county grounds in Ireland as some of them are right kips.
Could Gilmore not come back from a trip with some money. every time e is abroad he costs the Irish taxpayers large sums of money.
Let Labour donate some of their Oireachtas grant to such programmes he holds close to his cold heart.