Euan in Dublin-Croke Park and the GAA Museum

Today, I took a trip to Croke Park for their Stadium tour, and a look at their Museum. It was a great experience, and really cool to take in the whole stadium. The experience began with a 45-minute guided tour, followed by free time to explore the Museum.

We started by watching a short film about Croke Park itself, and about the GAA in general. The Gaelic Athletic Association (founded in 1884) is Ireland’s largest sporting organisation, and its purpose was not just to allow people the opportunity to play Irish sports, but to preserve ancient Irish culture, including the sports we’ve played for centuries.

After the video, we moved on to see the players’ lounge, the changing rooms and the warm-up areas. This was very cool for me, as you get to see behind the scenes and go to places you would normally not be allowed to go on any old match day.

Next, we went out to the pitch, and our guide regaled us with interesting facts about the stadium’s history, all while we got to explore places like the players’ bench and the commentary box. We then walked up into the stands to see all the different areas of the stadium, all with our guided history, highlighting the stadium’s unique features.

Afterwards, we made our way back down to the bottom to finish the tour. Before our guide left us to our own time, he pointed us to the museum and games area. The museum was very interesting, and the games area was great craic. 

I would definitely recommend this tour, and I would include the skyline if I were to do it again.