Croke Park & GAA Museum

Lonely Planet review

Uniquely important in Irish culture, the magnificent stadium at 'Croker' is the fabulous fortress that protects the sanctity and spirit of Gaelic games in Ireland, as well as being the administrative HQ of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the body that governs them. Sound a little hyperbolic? Well, the GAA considers itself not just the governing body of a bunch of Irish games, but the stout defender of a cultural identity that is ingrained in Ireland's sense of self.

It goes without saying that this is the country's largest stadium; after being virtually rebuilt in recent years, it's actually the fourth-largest stadium in Europe, with a capacity of some 82,000 people, and all for sports that are only played in this tiny little country! There are stadium tours available twice a day, although these are largely for hardcore GAA and sports stadia fans and are not available on match days. It's much better to get a ticket for a match, when you can watch these brilliant games, soak up the unique atmosphere and have a squiz at the arena. Only Cusack Stand ticket holders can visit the museum on match days.

In the 1870s, the site was developed as the 'City & Suburban Racecourse', but was bought by the GAA in 1913 and immediately renamed Croke Park in honour of the association's first patron, Archbishop Croke of Cashel. Since its foundation it has been entwined with Irish nationalism. The famous Hill 16, which is traditionally where the hardcore Dublin fans stand during matches, was so-called because its foundations were built with rubble taken from O'Connell St after the Easter Rising of 1916. This was also the site of the first Bloody Sunday in Irish history, the greatest single atrocity of the War of Independence.

Bloody Sunday is one of the episodes recounted in the outstanding GAA Museum, where the history and culture of these most Irish of games is explored in fascinating, interactive style. As well as going into exhaustive detail about Gaelic games, the exhibitions feature audiovisual displays that are sure to get the hairs on the back of any GAA fan's neck to stand up, and many relics from other sports and episodes that have captured the mood of the nation. There are terminals set up where you can watch highlights from any All-Ireland football or hurling final that has been recorded, but the highlight, for us at least, is the opportunity to test one's skills with a football or a hurley and sliothar (small, leather ball), and imagine the glories that might have been.