Newbridge is the quintessential winter venue. I was raised on going to Leinster club finals and semi-finals there. It’s a handy spin from Dublin, the stadium is right in the centre of the town and has several good pubs within a couple of minutes walk. Given that it’s a small stadium you don’t need much of a crowd to create an atmosphere. The old style roof on the stand (the terraced part of the stand is my favourite spot there) makes the noise reverberate. The view of the mountains in the background creates a nice ambience. A relatively modest investment to upgrade the terracing on the far side and toilets etc. could turn it into an excellent boutique stadium.
I knew I’d regret it alright. A cunt to get into, a cunt when you’re in there, and a cunt to get out of. A fuckhole of a spot.
I despise Thurles and I may have mentioned this before. It’s a horrible place and the “stadium” is a death trap. Clones is on another level alright but I’ve never really thought about compiling a top ten list. Armagh v Wexford under lights in the Gaelic Grounds was delightful a year or two back and Nowlan Park is a great place indeed. Brewster Park is a possible favourite though.
I’ve generally found Newbridge to be one of the easier venues as regards parking.
There’s a multi-storey car park a stone’s throw from the ground and a big Tesco car park a quarter of a mile up the road.
It’s also a pleasant run on the train if you want to have a few pints.
Like you said, you’re judging it on a few winter club games, obviously ones that have fuck all attendance if you’re getting in and out grand as regards parking. A fuckhole.
The capacity of the stadium is only about 7- 8,000, so all matches there have fuck all attendance in the big picture. There was at least 6 or 7,000 there at the O’Byrne Cup final in January and there was no trouble finding parking.
None of the charges of parking difficulty that you level at Newbridge cannot be levelled at any other ground, especially Thurles or Clones, and, I would assume, Killarney, which I’ve only travelled to via train.
Some people are bothered by difficulty in getting parking and choose to moan about it, others accept it as a given, try to plan accordingly, and just get on with things.
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We had a good 40 min trek to our car after the game yesterday.
The ground is a car park, the stand a shit hole, and the wire around the pitch a complete pain in the hole.
The less time I spend in Kildare the better I tend to find. You would find a lot that you would admire about the locals I suspect, not I.
Newbridge is the home of award-winning journalist and FOTF Niamh Horan, so it’s fine by me.
Can we now lock this thread?
It’s been another fascinating Ulster Championship - great games, enthralling battles and unbelievable scenes. I’m counting down the days until the 2016 Ulster Championship begins. Without doubt, the highlight of the GAA season.
Hold on. I did have something to say. I can’t remember what though. @thedancingbaby had a go at us about something or other. Maybe it wasn’t this thread. Maybe it never happened.
In any event, I’ve destroyed far too many brain cells to direct any cohesive vitriol in his direction.
How are you doing buddy? I hope the FEAR and dhrink induced tremors aren’t spoiling this magnificent time for you.
I’ve been conducting all BUSINESS interactions electronically and will continue to disregard the ringing telephone for a few days yet.
PS – Sorry for plagiarising your AFL tips on Friday. I was just bouncing off the walls with excitement and didn’t have time to focus. I appreciate that behaviour is not in the spirit of the competition, and would hate to be thrown in the same bracket as @sidney and @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy.
I’ve just noticed I didn’t quote you properly in my reply. Please note my earlier reply was intended as a direct reply to your message quoted above.