The Taoiseach has repeated his view that Ireland needs another major sports stadium, saying it would be a "sad day" if, as predicted, the Irish soccer team has to play some of its forthcoming home World Cup qualifying matches in Britain, writes Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent
Mr Ahern said yesterday that while he would prefer to see a new stadium built at the Abbotstown site in west Dublin, his main objective was to see a second stadium built somewhere.
While a stadium would be costly, "we are a good developing country. Sport is an important aspect of it. I know it's costly, but we have to find a means of dealing with that."
Further Cabinet consideration of the idea of a new stadium is promised in the next few months.
Before Christmas the Irish Rugby Football Union put a plan to the Minister for Sport, Mr O'Donoghue, for a 50,000 seat stadium on the site of the existing Lansdowne Road stadium.
This is broadly in line with a recommendation from the Office of Public Works earlier last year that the then proposed 65,000-seat stadium be reduced to a 45,000-seat facility in order to head off possible planning objections.
The OPW said then that a 65,000-seat stadium could be more comfortably and more cheaply built at Abbotstown. It would, however, have the disadvantage of being an out-of-town location.
Within Government the Progressive Democrats have blocked the development of a stadium at Abbotstown, and the Taoiseach said yesterday he was not overly concerned about location. "We need a second stadium", he told RTÉ's This Week programme. "I would like it to be Abbotstown, but by and large I'd like to see a second stadium. I am not hung up and never was about where. I have a preference, I'm entitled to a preference."
He said a new stadium did not necessarily have to be as big as he initially proposed for Abbotstown (80,000 seats) but it should be big enough to take Gaelic games.
"It would be a sad day, even though I forecast this a long time ago, if Ireland had to play World Cup qualifying matches in Anfield or Old Trafford, much as I love Old Trafford.
"That would be a sad day for the country. But we are heading to do that if we don't deal with this issue."
In relation to the prospect of soccer or rugby internationals being played at Croke Park at some stage he said he thought the GAA "will deal with their own issues in their own way, and I think they should be left to do that".