A Dublin GAA club has lost a High Court challenge to a decision that the new Shamrock Rovers stadium in Tallaght will be developed as a soccer-only venue rather than a larger-sized playing area suitable for Gaelic sports.
The Thomas Davis GAA Club of Tallaght had sought orders quashing South Dublin County Council's decision of February 13th, 2006 that the 6,000-seat stadium at Whitestown Way, Tallaght should be confined to soccer.
The council decided in 2005 the stadium could be developed for multi-sporting purposes rather than, as it originally proposed, as a soccer-only venue. However, after being informed by the Government the following February that they were only prepared to provide funding for a soccer-only stadium at the site, the council decided on February 13th, 2006 to revert to its original plans.
In a reserved judgment yesterday, Mr Justice Roderick Murphy rejected the GAA club's challenge to the council's decision.
Noting that additional Government funding would be a precondition for the development of a multi-purpose stadium, Mr Justice Murphy said he believed it would be wrong of the council to commit itself to unbudgeted expenditure or to delay the implementation of the resolution of February 13th, 2006.
The court had heard that, in 2005, the council's county manager proposed that the stadium be used as a soccer-only venue.
However, after a public consultation process and a recommendation by the Tallaght Area Committee in November 2005, the manager's proposal was altered to one in favour of a multi-sport stadium, involving the development of a larger sized pitch suitable for Gaelic games.
Thomas Davis GAA club had submitted during the consultation process that the stadium be used for multi-sporting purposes. On December 12th, 2005 the council members unanimously adopted a resolution in favour of that second proposal, and it was claimed the facility would be the "jewel in the crown" in terms of sports stadiums in the South Dublin County Council area.
Later however, after the council was told that then minister for arts, sport and tourism John O'Donoghue would only provide funding for a soccer-only stadium, it passed a resolution on February 13th, 2006 which reverted to the original proposal for a soccer only stadium.