Tims 92

Bohemians

Dalymount Park

Continuing on my trip around the football grounds of Dublin, after starting the second day at Tolka Park, it was the home of city rivals, Bohemians next and Dalymount Park. I’d been looking forward to this ground the most, from having seen pictures of it beforehand, it really did look quite an interesting place, however once there, that wasn’t really the impression I got.

After going around the outside, I entered through the car park, coming into the Connaught Street Stand, which only runs for half the length of the pitch. Despite being a fair size, it is open, and the seats look pretty faded, and simply placed on former terracing. The one point of interest in this stand though, is the press box standing above it, painted in the clubs colours of red and black. Wrapping around behind the goal is the Shopping Centre End, a large terrace, that to put it mildly, is in deplorable condition. Overgrown by weeds in many parts, and crumbling in others, it really has seen better days, and like the Connaught Street Stand is uncovered. Opposite is the School End, which is perhaps the most interesting structure, similar to Ninian Park’s Grange End. At the front of it is some more faded seating, whilst at one side of the stand, to the rear of the seating is a small section of terracing. This stand is partly covered, with an interesting looking roof. Completing the picture is the Jodi Stand, which is the most modern part of the ground. A medium sized all-seated stand, it would complement any ground in the English lower leagues. Towering over it is the spire of the nearby St Peters Church, which gives the ground some extra character.

Overall whilst the ground would clearly have been a great place to visit in times gone by, I ended up being fairly disappointed by it. Jodi Stand apart, I hadn’t really expected to find it in such a poor condition. The weather probably didn’t help show it in the best of lights, but it can’t go without saying that the facilities were basic at best. That said, the Jodi Stand is the one saving grace, and if that could be replicated on the other sides, then it could perhaps be a good place to watch football at, but until then, then it remains a ground that unfortunately needs a lot of investment to bring up to scratch.