Nothing screams the dying embers of summer like the roar of Croke Park as the GAA season reaches its crescendo. The four corners of Ireland flock to the iconic Jones Road to watch the culmination the All-Ireland Football & Hurling. During the months of August and September roughly 1 in every 10 Irish people will make the pilgrimage to the spiritual home of gaelic games and this makes parking a nightmare. Want to know what your options are? Parkpnp have it covered.
Public Transport
Of course your best option to avoid the increased traffic levels is to avoid driving altogether. Croke Park is easily accessed by trains and buses. Also, the stadium is a perceptively short walk from Dublin city centre.
If you have no choice but to drive here’s a few options:
Secure Parking
Whether the dying embers of the All-Ireland Hurling Final or half-way through another Kerry & Dublin classic the last thing you want when up for the match is to worrying about parking. The safest and in many cases the cheapest choice is to park in one of the many multi-storey car parks which provides great deals especially for matchday.
Parkrite’s IFSC is really great value parking for Croke Park with their Croke Park Special coming in at €5.25. This rate is also valid for concert-goers and leaves you a 20 minute walk from GAA HQ. Additional benefits include a wide selection of cool pubs and restaurants to sample the atmosphere before or after the match.
Free Parking
A staple for regular match-goers. People have their regular nooks and crannies around the wider Drumcondra area where they leave their cars. This can be very frustrating for local residents, so be mindful of where you park your car. As Croke Park reaches full capacity, competition for these spaces increases and you need to be prepared to hit Croke Park very early if you want a space!
Local Businesses
Many local businesses and organisations offer large scale parking on match days. Clonliffe College is available for €10 for the day on certain matchdays operating on a first come, first served basis. However, unless you plan on leaving with five or ten minutes to go be prepared for a substantial wait to exit the carpark with many motorists regularly complaining of having to wait for up to an hour to leave.
O’Connells School also costs €10 a day and can hold up to 300 cars, opening 2 hours before all events and 1 hour after events. Other options in the locality include Hedigan’s Pub & the Mater Hospital who both cater for matchday traffic.
Pre-Booked Parking
A growing option is pre-booking your parking. Industry leader Parkpnp work with local businesses and residents to offer 100s of extra parking spaces within walking distance of Croke Park. Simply head to Parkpnp.com, find your ideal space and guarantee your parking space from as little €6 per day.
Regardless of how you head to Croke Park, don’t let a parking nightmare ruin your big day out.
Alan O'Donovan
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