Troubled GAA stadium was mired in contract disputes after construction
DISPUTES connected with the construction of Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork continued long after the over-budget stadium redevelopment was completed in 2017.
According to an affidavit filed with the High Court, a senior official was kept on by the Cork County Board for a year longer than expected to deal with contract disputes.
Sources have also said the final sum to be paid for floodlighting and electrical arrangements is among a number of “high-value elements” still under negotiation.
The revelations come after directors of Staid Cois Laoi, the company charged with running the 45,000-capacity
stadium, estimated this week the final bill for the ground will be €95.8m – some €25.8m above initial cost projections.
The overrun prompted the GAA to effectively bail out the project and administrators from Croke Park have been sent to Cork to help with the running of the stadium.
The GAA has not published a breakdown of the costs, but demands for an explanation for the overrun and how it will be paid are expected to be sought by clubs and county board delegates.
To add to the troubles surrounding the stadium, it was also revealed this week there are unlikely to be any further inter-county matches there until at least May due to problems with the pitch, which may need to be relaid at considerable expense.
Cork’s remaining National League football and hurling home games are set to be played at nearby Páirc Uí Rinn.