Tánaiste Announces $500,000 Grant Towards Development of New Gaelic Park Clubhouse

Tánaiste Micheál Martin Minister for Foreign Affairs in Manhattan making the announcment

Michael Dorgan Twitter thumbnailMarch 15, 2023 By Michael Dorgan

The New York County Board has received some off-the-field cheer ahead of the Exiles clash against Leitrim next month.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, today announced a grant of €500,000 towards the construction of the new Gaelic Park clubhouse in the Bronx, located at 201 W 240th St.

The funding, which is being allocated via the Irish Government’s Emigrant Support Programme, will go towards building a new two-story, 12,000-square-foot facility at the famous ground.

The $6.2 million project has already received $2 million from Croke Park and the Dept. of Foreign Affairs said the latest cash injection will enable the project to be completed by March 2024.

Upon completion, the redevelopment in Gaelic Park will include a fully furbished function room, catering facilities, a medical office, two development offices and downstairs changing rooms.

“We are delighted to be partnering again with the GAA on a flagship overseas project, one which will secure the place of Irish culture and heritage in New York,” Martin said.

“As Irish communities across the United States evolve, the GAA has an important part to play in keeping Irish people in the US connected to home. The Association also helps us to connect new generations of Irish Americans to their Irish culture and heritage, as well as those from other backgrounds who have an affinity for Ireland.”

New York v Mayo, Gaelic Park, May 5, 2019 (Photo by Michael Dorgan)New York v Mayo, Gaelic Park, May 5, 2019 (Photo by Michael Dorgan)

The new clubhouse has long been in the works and has been mired in delays.

The old clubhouse was bulldozed shortly before the Connacht Senior Championship clash against Mayo in May 2019 and the site then laid idle for more than three years. A combination of the COVID pandemic and issues with foundational work prompted the setbacks since then.

Gaelic Park has been a home for Gaelic games in New York City since 1926. It has long been at the epicentre of Irish culture and heritage in New York, with New York GAA having been established in 1914.

Larry McCarthy, the President of the GAA and former New York County Board Chair, said the new clubhouse will ensure that Gaelic Park remains the epicentre for Irish culture and heritage for generations to come.

“Generations of Irish people have anchored their life in New York around the weekly pilgrimages to ‘The Park’; to see and play matches, to maintain a link with home and to make friends, find work and build up contacts that allow them to make the most of the opportunity of living in New York,” McCarthy said.

“As a member of the Diaspora, I can speak with confidence when I say that the GAA clubs that make up World GAA are mirror images of the clubs who cater for communities throughout the island of Ireland, and aside from the promotion of our national games, these clubs are an invaluable support structure for the Diaspora and allow thousands of people make a home from home as they live, work and study abroad.”

The announcement comes on the same day that New York released a new kit.

 

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The New York team v Sligo, taken on April, 17 2022 (Photo by Michael Dorgan)
The New York team v Sligo, taken on April 17 2022 (Photo by Michael Dorgan)
The New York team v Sligo, taken on April, 17 2022 (Photo by Michael Dorgan)
New York v Sligo, taken on April 17 2022 (Photo by Michael Dorgan)