Football

Former Ulster GAA greats are likely to be commemorated at new Casement Park

Former Ulster GAA secretary Danny Murphy (left), and former President John O'Reilly (right) - both pictured with former Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers (centre) - may be commemorated at the re-built Casement Park stadium.
Former Ulster GAA secretary Danny Murphy (left), and former President John O'Reilly (right) - both pictured with former Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers (centre) - may be commemorated at the re-built Casement Park stadium. Former Ulster GAA secretary Danny Murphy (left), and former President John O'Reilly (right) - both pictured with former Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers (centre) - may be commemorated at the re-built Casement Park stadium.

FORMER Ulster GAA officials and leading players are likely to be commemorated in parts of the new Casement Park stadium.

Ulster GAA’s Casement Park Project Sponsor, Stephen McGeehan, suggested that the likes of Danny Murphy and John O’Reilly would be considered, along with former GAA President Seamus Mac Ferran, who was heavily involved in the original building of the west Belfast venue.

The Ballinderry man did not rule out selling naming rights to Casement Park, but that is not something that is under discussion at this time.

In terms of naming stands after important figures in Ulster GAA, McGeehan said “that is not something that we're currently working on but, yes, that's something in the future we'd want to sit down and look at.

“There would be a long list of very significant people, Seamus [Mac Ferran] being one, absolutely, who made a big contribution to the GAA in the county, and at Casement. Clearly the Ulster club senior [football] trophy is named after Seamus, something we [Ballinderry GAC] were fortunate enough to get our hands on in the past as well.

“But from an Ulster GAA point of view and an Antrim point of view, we'd want to make sure that whatever happens in the future in terms of stands and the naming of particular function rooms and everything else, is something that reflects the whole of the GAA in the province. and the efforts made over many years to develop Casement and of course it's place in a national context.

“So that's something we want to make sure that we represent widely. Antrim’s past, Ulster Council’s involvement as well.

“Danny Murphy, God be good to him, began this journey with the GAA in Ulster about 15 years ago now, and we've lost Danny since 2016. There are people like him and John O'Reilly, former president of the Ulster Council, who have made significant contributions.

“There are people who played in the finals in Casement Park. Mick McGuckin, who's one of our board members, played in the last Ulster Final in Casement Park in 1971 and is very proud of that and would love to see the new Casement Park started.

“There are people of varying ages over a long number of years who have served the GAA very well and we would always do our best to make sure that as many of those are remembered in a new Casement Park.”

The stadium itself is named after the patriot, originally from Dublin but with strong links to north Antrim and the Feis na Gleann, and McGeehan said any alterations or additions to the stadium name would be dealt with sensitively:

“In terms of commercial opportunities, our business case, and our work, we would always be looking at what future commercial opportunities would look like. The naming of Casement Park after Sir Roger Casement is something that is deeply established in the heritage and the history of Casement Park - and that's something that we're not currently looking at.

“If we did consider some future naming rights, sponsorship from whatever source it came from, that'd be something very much to sit down with the officers of the Antrim county board about and to look at the traditions and the history of Casement Park.

“Casement Park is known throughout the world as a stadium in Belfast that was opened up in 1953 and it was bought and paid for by a lot of effort by the Gaels of Antrim and the clubs of Antrim and the GAA at the time. So tradition and history and heritage is very important to us.

“At the same time, times do move on. So if there was an offer in the future around naming rights, it'd be something that we would consider - but we'd very much considering it along with our partners in Antrim GAA and see what, if anything, might be possible in the future - but it's not something we're working on right now.”