In a pre-election bonanza totalling €173m across all sporting codes, one of the biggest winners will be Cavan GAA – albeit the €19m earmarked for the Cavan Regional Sports Campus, based around Kingspan Breffni stadium and grounds, will benefit a number of sports and not just Gaelic Games.

Several county boards have received major financial windfalls in their development or upgrading of GAA centres of excellence, with €7m earmarked for Dublin’s planned facility at Spawell while Roscommon receive €5.5m, Wexford €3.5m and Clare €3.2m.

One of the country’s most iconic arenas, Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney, has been awarded €6m towards the reconstruction of an existing terrace at the western end of the venue.

Several GAA clubs were also celebrating, with €1m apiece going to Killeevan Sarsfields in Monaghan and St Colmcille’s in Meath; €650,000 awarded to Patrickswell in Limerick; and €1m earmarked for a Naas GAA cross-community development.

Elsewhere in Naas, at Sallins Park, a further €3m has been grant-aided towards a multi-sport project that will include a GAA grass pitch.

Meanwhile – in Hyde Park, Dalkey – Cuala GAA and Dalkey AFC soccer club will equally benefit as anchor tenants after €4.6m was set aside for the development of an indoor sports hall, ball wall, gym and other facilities.

League of Ireland clubs – most notably Bohemians and Sligo Rovers – are perhaps the biggest beneficiaries in today’s Government announcement.

Crucial funding, amounting to €43.75m directly to League of Ireland facilities, will play a role in the redevelopment of Dalymount Park and Sligo’s The Showgrounds Stadium. Wexford FC will receive funding to progress their stadium development project with Wexford County Council while Tallaght Stadium can deliver sustainability upgrades, including LED floodlighting at Shamrock Rovers’ home ground.

Sports Minister Catherine Martin and Minister of State Thomas Byrne were holding a press conference at Dalymount Park this morning, announcing an overall handout of €173m to 35 different projects under the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund.

Meanwhile, Down GAA has hailed the award of over €15 million in funding to develop a “transformational” new centre of excellence at Ballykinlar.

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