Tyrone building firm breaks ground on new Croke Park hotel

THE GAA and leading Tyrone contractor McAleer & Rushe have cut the first sod marking the start of construction on a new €40m hotel at Croke Park.

The 200-bedroom hotel will accommodate a business centre with five meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art gym, and a bar and restaurant facilities.

The site is just 140 metres from Croke Park and is expected to open to the public in 2026.

McAleer & Rushe, currently Tyrone GAA’s flagship sponsor, has worked closely with the GAA from the initial planning and design stages of the project, adding its expertise and experience in delivering quality turnkey hotel developments.

Martin Magee, managing director of McAleer & Rushe, said, “It was a pleasure to join the GAA President Jarlath Burns to cut the first sod together and celebrate this important milestone with the key stakeholders involved.

“Having delivered the Croke Park Hotel for the GAA nearly 20 years ago, we are honoured to be once again entrusted by the Association to lead on this new hotel.

“It is also exciting to mark this important milestone with the Dalata team, with whom we have built a strong and successful partnership across development and construction, delivering over 3,000 hotel bedrooms across Ireland and GB.”

Mr Magee added, “We look forward to working closely with all partners to ensure the vision for this significant project is realised and engaging actively with the local community throughout construction to contribute positively to the area.”

Positioned in an established and mature part of Drumcondra, guests will be ideally located for big games and enjoy excellent connectivity to the air, road and rail network, with Drumcondra train station, and bus routes just a short walk away.

Ireland’s largest hotel operator, Dalata Hotel Group will run the hotel under its Maldron brand delivering a modern four-star hotel offering high-quality accommodation. The group has ambitious growth plans not just in Ireland, but across Europe.

Recent openings include a 188-bedroom hotel in Manchester and a 268-bedroom hotel in Liverpool, both constructed by McAleer & Rushe.