Croke Park

Croke Park is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium located in Dublin. Named in honour of Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is often called Croker by some Gaelic Athletic Association fans and locals. It serves both as the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Since 1891 the stadion has been used primarily by the Gaelic Athletic Association 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 the Ireland national rugby union team and the Republic of Ireland national football team. 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 over video link to approximately eighty thousand people. Following a redevelopment programme started in the 1990s, Croke Park has a capacity of 82300, making it the third-largest stadium in Europe, and the largest not usually used for association football.