Croke Park (Irish: Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland. Often called Croker by Dubliners, it serves both as the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
Since 1884 the site has been used primarily by the GAA to host Gaelic games, most notably the annual All-Ireland finals in football and hurling. Both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2003 Special Olympics, as well as numerous music concerts by major international acts, have been held in the stadium. During the construction of the Aviva Stadium, Croke Park hosted games played by Ireland's national teams in the sports of rugby union and soccer. In June 2012, the stadium was used to host the closing ceremony of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress during which Pope Benedict XVI gave an address to approximately eighty thousand people.
Following a redevelopment programme started in the 1990s, Croke Park has a capacity of 82,300, making it the fourth largest stadium in Europe, and the largest not primarily used for association football.
Read more about Croke Park: History, Stadium Design, Pitch, Concerts, Controversy On Playing Non-Gaelic Games, Skyline Tour, Gallery
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“Mrs. Mirvan says we are not to walk in [St. James’s] Park again next Sunday ... because there is better company in Kensington Gardens; but really, if you had seen how every body was dressed, you would not think that possible.”
—Frances Burney (1752–1840)