The Clare motion to give central council the power to authorise the use of Croke Park for rugby and soccer was defeated by 197 votes to 106 at the GAA's annual congress in Dublin. Clare's Noel Walsh had put the motion forward even though it seemed certain that it would end in this result.
The result is a blow to the joint Scottish-Irish bid to host the Euro
2008 soccer championships as Croke Park was proposed as one of the stadia
which could be used for the tournament. However, the idea of Croke Park being used for other sports could be tackled again at a Special Congress, expected to take place in October.
Filed by James Shortt
