GAA club which faced eviction from its only pitch expresses ‘huge relief’ as solution found

Ronan McGreevy

A row between a receiver appointed by Nama and a Dublin GAA club over the club’s only playing pitch has been resolved.

Tyrrelstown GAA club said a proposal by Mazars which will allow it to continue using the pitch at Tyrrelstown Way until May next year came as a "huge relief."

"It now appears that the receiver has offered the contract terms that we have been campaigning for," said club chairman Jonny Ahearne.

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Tyrrelstown GAA club had warned that proposals by Mazars to sell their pitch could see the club fold.

The issue was raised in the Dáil by Fianna Fáil TD Jack Chambers. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who is also a local TD, is due to meet with the club on Tuesday.

The club was founded in 2008. A year later it rented a patch of land from the developers, Twinlite, in Tyrrelstown Way on a temporary basis.

The loans attached to the land have been acquired by Nama who appointed Mazars to dispose of the land as they saw fit.

Tyrrelstown GAA club feared Mazars would sell the land to developers leaving them without a pitch locally.

The club issued a statement after a meeting on Wednesday night in which they claimed to have been offered only a three to four month rolling contract to continue using it.

The statement warned that the offer from Mazars offered them “no security for the future” and it could “potentially bring an end to Tyrellstown GAA club”.

However, Mazars upped their offer on Thursday night which will allow the club to continue using the pitch until May 2019.

Mr Ahearne said all along they had been campaigning only to be allowed use the pitch until an alternative could be found.

The timeframe has been agreed to coincide with the opening of two pitches being developed by Fingal County Council which are due to be opened in May next year.

However, the club warned that the council will have to amend its terms for the uses of the pitches to accommodate training sessionas well as matches.

In a statement on its Facebook page, Tyrrelstown GAA club said: "After the 31st of May 2019 we must be assured that we have a pitch for not only our matches but most importantly for training sessions, camps during school holidays and for the other community users of our current pitches including the four primary schools in Tyrrelstown.

“Is it a sensible investment of public money to provide grass pitches that can only be used for matches and an all-weather pitch that is priced so as to exclude the only community based organisation from accessing it?”