Breffni Park

Kingspan Breffni Park
Páirc Bhreifne
Location Cavan, County Cavan, Republic of Ireland
Coordinates 53°58′55″N 7°21′33″W / 53.98194°N 7.35917°WCoordinates: 53°58′55″N 7°21′33″W / 53.98194°N 7.35917°W
Public transit Tractamotors bus stop
Owner Cavan GAA
Capacity 32,000
Field size 143 x 86 m
Opened 1923

Breffni Park—known for sponsorship reasons as Kingspan Breffni Park—[1] is a GAA stadium in Cavan, Republic of Ireland.

It is the home of the Cavan Gaelic football team. The ground has an overall capacity of about 32,000 with a 6,000 seated capacity.[2] Breffni is the historic name for area of Cavan/Leitrim. Cavan is often referred to as the Breffni County.[3] The opening game of the 2013 International Rules Series took place in Breffni Park in October.

Kingspan Breffni Park is one of the few stadiums in the country with floodlights. It is located on Park Lane to the south of Cavan town, see Map In 2006, the first ever women's match in international rules football was played between Australia and Ireland at Kingspan Breffni Park. The venue also holds the world record for the twelve-hour continuous relay race.

History

Kingspan Breffni Park was opened in 1923. The opening was attended by Eoin O'Duffy who gave a speech calling on the GAA to "bring together all sections of the Irish people" to "save the youth of Ireland from the sea of moral degradation into which they were travelling".[4]

Athletics

In June 2009, the world record for the twelve-hour continuous relay race was broken by 1,868 participants.[5]

Camogie

The 2009 Cavan Camogie Development Fun Day to promote the development of camogie at underage levels was held at Kingspan Breffni Park on 7 June 2009.[6]

Gaelic football

Kingspan Breffni Park regularly hosts matches in the Ulster Senior Football Championship. In the Ulster Senior Football Championship 2009, it hosted Cavan's unexpected 0–13 to 1–09 quarter-final defeat of Fermanagh.[7][8][9][10] Critics had beforehand doubted Cavan's ability to win the match.[11] The Belfast Telegraph described it as Cavan's "most inept championship performance for some time", saying Fermanagh were "gunned down".[12]

Kingspan Breffni Park has also hosted several matches at national level.

All-Ireland qualifying matches

Kingspan Breffni Park has hosted a number of qualifiers for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

The stadium hosted one game involving Cavan when they progressed to round four of the qualifiers for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2005. The team entered the qualifiers in the second round where they beat Donegal by a score of 1–11 to 1–10 at the ground.[13] Breffni Park also hosted the third round qualifying game between Monaghan and Louth which Monaghan won by 1–12 to 0–14.[14][15]

The round three qualifier for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2007 between Derry and Laois was played at Kingspan Breffni Park. Derry won by 1–18 to 2–11 to go through to the quarter finals.[16]

In the 2011 Football Championship it hosted 25 June round 1 qualifier between Louth and Meath, and Cavan versus Longford.

Allianz National League

In 2004, Kingspan Breffni Park hosted a Division 1B match between Cavan and Armagh which Cavan won convincingly by a scoreline of 3–12 to 0–8.[17] Armagh were winners of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2002 and runners-up in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2003.[18][19]

Kingspan Breffni Park was chosen to host the 2006 Division Two Final of the Allianz National League between Donegal and Louth. There was controversy when Donegal's manager Brian McIver was upset as he thought the game should have been played at Croke Park in Dublin.[20] McIver said: "It defies logic and I think the sponsors might have something to say about it as well. It's very strange that the finals can suddenly be moved from Croke Park. [...] The National League is the second biggest competition in the GAA and the finals should be staged at Croke Park".[20] The GAA claimed it was due to "the geographic considerations in respect of the four Division One semi-finalists".[20] Donegal's semi-final defeat of Westmeath had also taken place at Breffni Park.[21]

Hurling

National Hurling League

Two of the National Hurling League Finals were played at Kingspan Breffni Park on 2 May 2009. These were the Division Three A Final between Meath versus Kildare and the Division Four Final between Monaghan versus Sligo.[22]

International rules football

On 31 October 2006, the first ever women's match in International rules football was played between Australia and Ireland at Kingspan Breffni Park.[23] Ireland beat Australia by 134–15.[24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh. "From Borroloola to Mangerton Mountain". p. 21. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  2. ↑ "Details for Kingspan Breffni Park, Cavan". World Stadia. 6 December 2004. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  3. ↑ "Eu will have to Erne the victory". The Belfast Telegraph. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  4. ↑ Fearghal McGarry. "Eoin O'Duffy: a self-made hero". p. 151. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  5. ↑ "Cavan: Record broken at Breffni Park". The Irish Emigrant. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  6. ↑ "'The Clash of the Ash' in Kingspan Breffni Park.". Ulster Camogie. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  7. ↑ Donnchadh Boyle (6 June 2009). "Glory days long gone, insists Carr". Irish Independent. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  8. ↑ "Cavan 0–13 Fermanagh 1-09". RTÉ. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  9. ↑ "Carr delight after Cavan victory". BBC. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  10. ↑ "Johnston inspires Cavan win". The Irish Times. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  11. ↑ Julie Anne Sheridan (8 June 2009). "Johnston reins in expectations". Setanta Sports. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  12. ↑ "Breffni blues in the pink". The Belfast Telegraph. 7 June 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  13. ↑ "Cavan thank Reillys for victory". RTÉ. 3 July 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  14. ↑ "Monaghan survive late Louth scare". RTÉ. 16 July 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  15. ↑ "Monaghan survive late burst to beat Louth". breakingnews.ie. 16 July 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  16. ↑ "Laois 2–11 1–18 Derry". BBC. 28 July 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  17. ↑ "Cavan hammer Armagh". BBC. 7 March 2004. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  18. ↑ "Armagh stun Kerry to claim first All-Ireland". RTÉ. 22 September 2003. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  19. ↑ "Result: Armagh 0–9 Tyrone 0–12". BBC. 28 September 2003. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "McIver: Finals should be at Croke". BBC. 17 April 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  21. ↑ "Donegal delay naming side". RTÉ. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  22. ↑ "National Hurling League Finals". The Irish Times. 2 May 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  23. ↑ "Breffni Park hosts first-ever women's International Rules tie". Irish Examiner. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  24. ↑ "Brave Aussie ladies like ewes to the slaughter in Ireland". World Footy News. 14 November 2006. Retrieved 22 May 2013.