Council should take advantage of Dublin 15 sports tourist boom, councillors say

Labour councillor Mary McCamley has said that Fingal County Council should take advantage of a projected tourist boom in Dublin 15.

With capacity to be expanded at the National Sports Campus, the cycling Velodrome and the new cricket stadium being built in Dublin 15, the Labour councillor said that the council should be looking to exploit the potential rise in footfall.

Speaking at this month’s meeting of the Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart/Castleknock/Ongar Area Committee, McCamley said that more tourist facilities are needed in Dublin 15 to attract visitors from Dublin City itself.

She said that local hotels are “already at capacity” and it “wouldn’t be any harm” to expand the number of hotels in the area.

“The Irish Sports Centre is getting bigger and bigger and attracting more sports people; it’s just a plan for going forward, and hopefully the council will take that on board.”

Following March’s marathon meeting, where the council agreed to rejig the county’s development plan and agree to build 2,500 new homes in the Dunsink area in the near future, McCamley said that the Dunsink plan should also include room for restaurants and hotels.

“These are not things that will happen immediately, but I hope the council has plans for our area to attract tourists.”

Fine Gael councillor Ted Leddy noted that Ireland has lost out on a number of high-profile sporting tournaments in recent years, and noted “when adjudicators are deciding whether countries are able to host events, they don’t just look at the facilities, they look at the capacity of the area to take the crowds, the teams, their entourages and tourists.”

The Castleknock councillor said he hoped that the council would “take the issue seriously.”

McCamley concurred with Leddy’s note that the rights to host sporting events are won and lost based on the surrounding area infrastructure.

The Labour councillor said, “we need something else in the area to make sure we secure these events – and international events. As councillor Leddy said, we may miss out on them (major events) if we don’t have the proper facilities in our area, if people don’t have a place to stay.”

The Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart councillor says the cricket arena is a “great advantage” for Dublin 15 that other areas of Dublin don’t have, along with the Velodrome.

“We have started this journey to try and put Dublin 15 on the map as a tourist place to go, and this might go towards some ways to starting that process.”

Sinn Féin councillor Angela Donnelly said that McCamley has been “beating the drum” for Dublin 15 tourism, saying that the “drum needs beating.”

“As councillors, we need to continue to raise this topic and ensure that Dublin 15 is kept at the forefront of the Department’s mind.”

Fianna Fáil councillor Tom Kitt said that the existing hotels in Dublin 15 are a “credit” to the area, and he said that extra hotels would be important in “bringing extra people in.”

Fellow Fianna Fáil councillor JK Onwumereh says it makes “absolute sense” to tie in the sports boom in Dublin 15 to expanded tourist capacity.

Declan Power, Fingal County Council’s executive with responsibility for tourism, said “we have made great strides” for tourism infrastructure in Dublin 15 in recent times.

Power said that Dublin 15 tourism has “great potential,” and that the council sees the arena as a “prime asset.”

“When many people think of tourism, they think of promotion and marketing, but the first steps are product and experience development; we have made great strides in that recently, and I’m confident that if we continue down that path, we will ultimately see Dublin 15 represented nationally and on the international stage,” he said.

Last November, planning permission was granted for a new cricket stadium to be built in Dublin 15.

The 4,240 capacity stadium will be part of the existing Dublin 15 Sport Ireland Campus.

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan TD said at the time “this project is a clear demonstration of the government’s ongoing commitment to investing in world-class sporting infrastructure.

The facility will allow Ireland’s cricket teams to participate at the highest international standards and allow Ireland to bid for the right to host major cricket events and competitions such as the T20 and ODI World Cups.

The stadium will be a part of the 2030 Men’s T20 World Cup, which Ireland is co-hosting with England and Scotland.

Sport Ireland CEO Dr Úna May said,  “this innovative venue will revolutionise cricket in Ireland, offering world-class training facilities for players to sharpen their skills and a thrilling, up-close experience for fans. 

“The Sport Ireland Campus is already a cornerstone of Irish sport – and with this new development, plus the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre, we’re raising the bar even higher. 

John Foley, Chairperson of Sport Ireland, said,“securing planning permission for this major development represents a significant strategic milestone – one that reflects not only the vision and collaboration of all partners involved, but also our shared commitment to delivering long-term national impact.”

The cricket facility will be built in phases, with expectations of there being indoor and outdoor practice and training areas.