Figures released yesterday by the Minister for Sport indicate that the State would have to provide €213 million for a 65,000-seater national stadium at Abbotstown, west Dublin.
Mr O'Donoghue told the Dáil that such a stadium would cost about €381 million, including the construction, essential infrastructure, inflation and planning.
The IRFU and FAI indicated they would be able to contribute €118 million from the sale of corporate boxes and "there is also the question of the sum of money offered by Mr J.P. McManus of £50 million". The Minister said that would be discussed with the financier in the context of any new proposals.
Mr O'Donoghue said he believed the west Dublin site "is the most appropriate location for a new stadium". He would bring a memorandum to Government on a number of options and the Government would choose. He said that Lansdowne Road stadium "has outlived its age and is no longer an appropriate stadium to host major international events". And he told the Opposition that Croke Park "may form part of the answer, but it certainly is not the solution to the problem" of providing an international standard stadium.
