Corrigan Park is a

Gaelic games Gaelic games () are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the most popular of the s ...

ground on the Whiterock Road in west Belfast that served as the main venue for GAA in Belfast until the opening of

Casement Park Casement Park () is the principal Gaelic games stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located in Andersonstown Road in the west of the city, and is named after the Irish revolutionary Roger Casement. The stadium, which has been closed si ...

in 1953. It is named in honour of John Corrigan (1881–1916), who was secretary of the Antrim County Board when Antrim won

Ulster Senior Hurling Championship The Ulster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Ulster Championship, was an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It was the highest inter-county hurl ...

titles between 1909 and 1913. It is home to St John's GAA club and also hosts Ulster club and colleges matches.

History

Development

The ground was officially opened in 1926. In the late 1920s, additional improvements were built at the ground, including a new stand, player facilities and an entrance from Whiterock Road. While, following the opening of

in 1953, it was suggested that the county board might sell Corrigan Park, control of the ground was transferred to St John's GAA club. The club undertook a number of developments at the ground in the 1950s and 1970s. In 2021, following extensive renovations which included the construction of a 600-seat stand and terracing, the capacity of the park increased from 2,100 to 3,700.

Hurling

Corrigan Park was associated with the run of the Antrim hurling team to the final of the 1943 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The ground staged the quarter-final in which Antrim beat

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

and the semi-final in which Antrim beat

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

, both unexpected results at the time. Its tight, confined space was regarded as being advantageous to the home side in those matches.

Football

Among the major football championship matches it staged were the

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...

-Antrim Ulster championship semi-finals of 1930, 1931 and 1949. Its last major provincial football championship match was Antrim v Donegal in the Ulster championship of 1952. Corrigan Park also hosted Antrim's Round 2 Qualifier defeat to

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...

in the

2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 132nd edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. Thirty-three teams took part – thirty-one of t ...

Camogie

Corrigan Park staged the All Ireland Camogie finals of 1944, 1946, and 1947, two of which were won by Antrim, and also several of Antrim's semi-finals. It became known as the "home of camogie" during this period.

References

External links

History of Corrigan Park on St John's GAA club website
{{Antrim GAA Antrim GAA Gaelic games grounds in Northern Ireland Sports venues completed in 1926 Sports venues in Belfast