It’s good to touch the green, green grass of home.
Unless you’re in Croke Park, in which case you’re touching the green, green grass of Scunthorpe.
The pitch at GAA headquarters is to be relaid in July. A Beyonce concert, on top of couple of Bruce Springsteen gigs in May, means the Hill 16 is expected to be in need of more than a little TLC.
However, in keeping with the status quo (not playing at Croker this summer) since 2009, the Irish Examiner are reporting that the 1,500 sods required will once more be imported from a specialist supplier in Lincolnshire, England.
Peter McKenna, the stadium director, explained that no Irish company can currently supply the mix of grass (60% poa pratensis, 40% perennial ryegrass) that gives Croke Park its admittedly superb playing surface.
“At present, there are no Irish suppliers that can provide us with the type of grass composition and maturity that we require and we will again look for from this farm in Lincolnshire,” McKenna said, who called on some Irish entrepreneurs to fill the gap,
“We’d only be delighted to purchase from an Irish supplier. There is an opportunity in that space for somebody to do it in Ireland. The RDS from time to time have looked for the same. It’s a big business and somebody in Ireland could take advantage if they are inclined to diversify.”
Last relaid after two Take That concerts in 2011, the GAA are confident the new surface will knit in time for 17th July’s Leinster SFC final.
Prior to that it was overhauled in 2009 after U2’s run of three concerts in the Drumcondra venue.
With Bruce Springsteen, U2, Take That and Beyonce responsible for the expensive ground works, we wonder will Jamie Carragher’s €2,000 be thrown in the pot, should the Sky Sports pundit decides to pay Dromard’s fine for allowing foreign games to be played on their, assumedly, Irish grass.
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