Hello all,

We are going to be in Dublin for the August 16th match and tickets are now available online for that game and I have some questions that hopefully you can help me with.

Cusack lower stand or Hogan lower stand or other? The croke park website only has these 2 options available at the moment and they pick the best available. Is there a traditional route (ie pub crawl walk) that I should undertake?

The tickets are 40 euro. Should I grab the tickets fast or can I wait a little while? Or are there better options that would maximize the atmosphere at a lesser price?

And as some background, any team that I cheer for in all my beloved sports tends to be a loser. I believe I may be jinxed. So if any fan of their team wants me to cheer for the other team, thereby guaranteeing you victory, I will gladly do so for a pint.

Cheers and thanks for any advice.

spikewinnipeg (Dublin) - Posts: 5 - 08/06/2015 15:57:53    1734173

spikewinnipeg
County: Dublin
Posts: 1

1734173
Hello all,

We are going to be in Dublin for the August 16th match and tickets are now available online for that game and I have some questions that hopefully you can help me with.

Cusack lower stand or Hogan lower stand or other? The croke park website only has these 2 options available at the moment and they pick the best available. Is there a traditional route (ie pub crawl walk) that I should undertake?

Good man Spike, I hope you enjoy your trip to Dublin.

The Cusack lower and the Hogan lower are good tickets imo. In the Cusack section 306 is the halfway point so as close to that the better. In the Hogan section 331 is the halfway line. Row A is the front row, as opposed to Row AA which is Row 27.

The tickets won't sell out for the semi-finals usually so you can wait awhile on booking them if you want.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 08/06/2015 16:28:28    1734195

Are you going to the football or the hurling? Or both!

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 08/06/2015 16:29:18    1734197

We are just going to the hurling. We fly in that morning and we figure that a sporting event will be the best thing to keep jet lag away. I've watched the game before and I like it, so it'll be something cool that most tourists won't do.

From what I've been able to gather elsewhere (not much really), the advantages of the Hogan are that the entrance to the stadium has more pubs around it and you're not looking into the sun if it makes an appearance. The advantages of the Cusack is that you can see replays on the big screen and if it's a nice day you get some sun.

I couldn't find if one side was livelier than the other. So I'm thinking get whichever is closer to the center and a little deeper in the stands. Right now row F and E are showing up so that might be too low.

Any tips on the Pubs around the place I should make sure I hit pre and post game?

spikewinnipeg (Dublin) - Posts: 5 - 08/06/2015 17:00:07    1734213

spikewinnipeg

Cheer for the favorite and you'll be fine.
I would recommend the Hill 16 or Nally terrace if you really want atmosphere.
Head for the Big tree and take in the Hogan stand and gills pubs on the way to Croker.

tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1106 - 08/06/2015 18:07:38    1734248

Spike, I'd go with Hogan Stand too.

Quinns is a meat market but almost any other pub on Dorset st is good fun.

Meagher's in Fairview is family friendly as it's a large pub. Jury's hotel opposite hogan stand is very family friendly too.

Lively pubs are Quinns (wouldn't recommend it) and The big tree.

McGrath's and the red parrot on Dorset st are good solid boozers.

If Cork are playing head to Barry's Hotel which is just off Parnell Sq. Kilkenny fans seem like the Clonliffe house, Tipp fans like Meagher's. Dublin fans like Meagher's and Gaffneys in Fairview. I think Galway and Clare fans like the auld triangle but I am open to correction on that one. I'm not sure if fans from other counties have a set up some Waterford , Limerick, Wexford etc please help me out here.

Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 08/06/2015 19:44:13    1734300

If you are anywhere near Connolly Train Station or Bus Aras head to Clearys pub. Great pub and you will get to see many pics of the big fella.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 08/06/2015 20:35:05    1734332

spikewinnipeg
County: Dublin
Posts: 2

1734173
The tickets are 40 euro. Should I grab the tickets fast or can I wait a little while? Or are there better options that would maximize the atmosphere at a lesser price?

And as some background, any team that I cheer for in all my beloved sports tends to be a loser. I believe I may be jinxed. So if any fan of their team wants me to cheer for the other team, thereby guaranteeing you victory, I will gladly do so for a pint.

Well It's Leinster v Connacht and Ulster v Munster this year in terms of All Ireland series Provincial Winners setup.

Dublin, Mayo, Roscommon and Meath are the likely Quarter finalists on that side, with Dublin and Mayo most likely to be contesting the All Ireland Semi final.

Kerry and Cork always then to be in the All Ireland series from Munster, with Donegal and Monaghan seeming to be most pundits predictions from Ulster. However with a few very strong sides likely to be in that side of the Qualifiers draw, I wouldn't be shocked if Tyrone power through.

For the best chance of supporting a winning team that weekend, I would pick Dublin. They will almost certainly progress to the All Ireland Semi final regardless of who they play in the Quarter final.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 08/06/2015 20:51:00    1734339

No contest, has to be the Hogan. You've surely some Mayo blood in you seeing as you have already sussed that there's more pubs near The Hogan !

Delighted to hear you're gonna see our greatest game, I'll be biased and say it's the greatest in the world bar none, including ice hockey. Be sure and tell all your mates back in Canada about it afterwards. We should be encouraging more visitors to go to our football and hurling and see a real taste of Ireland.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7344 - 08/06/2015 21:04:12    1734348

If you wanna get a better atmosphere at a lower price then you could get tickets for the terrace (Hill16).

The view won't be as good as you'll be behind the goals but the tickets will probably be about €20/25.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 08/06/2015 21:07:36    1734352

I think if more Canadians knew about the game, there definitely would be a market for it. The scoring is easy to catch onto and it has that nice mix of skill, pace and controlled violence that we all enjoy.

If I was to consider Hill 16 how would I go about getting those tickets at this point? It looks like they will go sale at a later time. Any idea as to why they are just releasing tickets in the lower Cusack and Hogan at the moment and nothing else? Are the other seats all allotted to the Counties the first go round?

And having Dublin in that match I'm sure would ramp up the local atmosphere. I look forward to that glassy eyed haze and wobbliness that comes from pairing no sleep, jet lag and beer.

spikewinnipeg (Dublin) - Posts: 5 - 08/06/2015 21:37:11    1734372

I wouldn't recommend the Hill after a long flight unless you fancy standing for hours and want to run the risk of getting soaked.

In my opinion, the Hogan and Cusack are much of a muchness, can see the big screens easily from both. They tend to try and sell out the Cusack first because that's the only place along the aide of the pitch (as opposed to behind the goals) where concession tickets are available for and because the TV cameras look onto it and they like showing a full Croker! Either way, there really are no bad seats in Croker Park!

OgraAnDun (Down) - Posts: 406 - 08/06/2015 21:44:32    1734373

spikewinnipeg
County: Dublin
Posts: 3
And as some background, any team that I cheer for in all my beloved sports tends to be a loser. I believe I may be jinxed.

Ha well you might as well support my team so because we have had enough bad luck down the years it can't really get any worse. That's football though. It's the Hurling semi final the day you land so we wont be involved anyway but Hurling is a great game and probably the best to come and view from a tourists point of view. Enjoy your trip.

Aside, can we do more to market our games to tourists in town on any given weekend? When Mayo played Dublin in the 2012 semi, you may remember it was the day after the American College football game at the Avivia. We met a gang of Americans that night and brought them to Croke Park the next day managing to get them 5 tickets....when we met them afterwards they were amazed and would have never known it was on.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11230 - 09/06/2015 08:51:47    1734398

spikewinnipeg
County: Dublin
Posts: 3

1734372
I think if more Canadians knew about the game, there definitely would be a market for it. The scoring is easy to catch onto and it has that nice mix of skill, pace and controlled violence that we all enjoy.

If I was to consider Hill 16 how would I go about getting those tickets at this point? It looks like they will go sale at a later time. Any idea as to why they are just releasing tickets in the lower Cusack and Hogan at the moment and nothing else? Are the other seats all allotted to the Counties the first go round?

And having Dublin in that match I'm sure would ramp up the local atmosphere. I look forward to that glassy eyed haze and wobbliness that comes from pairing no sleep, jet lag and beer.


The reason that only these 2 areas are open now is because the match is unlikely to be a sell-out. Croke Park holds 82500 people and they like to fill the lower seats first (for obvious safety/staffing reasons). Also, with the teams to play yet to be decided, the majority of tickets will not be released until this is established so that there is plenty remaining for clubs in the 2 counties, county boards, etc

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5012 - 09/06/2015 09:58:31    1734438

As we are further along on the qualifiers schedule has there been any dramatic change on who I'll potentially be watching and most likely be watching on August 16th? I'm assuming it's still up in the air as they probably draw which Quarter Final Winner plays on either the 9th or the 16th.

Am I also right in assuming that since the game is in Dublin that I really want Dublin to come through that side of the draw for the most atmosphere?

Thanks again!

spikewinnipeg (Dublin) - Posts: 5 - 07/07/2015 15:06:51    1749313

It must just be hurling that is on on the 16
First football semi on the 23 August
Second on on the 30 August

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 07/07/2015 21:51:26    1749574

A few key points:
-It will not be full, probably about 55,000 there in an 82,000 seater stadium so no need to panic about ticket yet.
-There are no bad seats in Croke Park so you don't need to worry about which stand although you are better in the Cusack or Hogan rather than Hill 16 (purely from the fact of not getting soaked if it's raining)
- The best pubs vary depending on the teams invloved and the crowd on the day so I wouldn't pre-plan to much and try a few of them out on the day.
-By far the most important thing to do is to start wathcing the matches now (Qualifiers this Saturday, Munster Final this Sunday and the quarter finals in a couple of weeks). Through this you will get to know the players and what to watch out for in the semi final. It will greatly improve your enjoyment.
-the other thing you should do while here is visit the Croke Park Mueseum but you can do this on non match days as well and that may be a better option as it'll be less busy
- Don't worry about sticking to a detailed plan too much, just go with the flow on the day and enjoy the craic

onlyhurling (Galway) - Posts: 800 - 08/07/2015 08:26:48    1749598

Really can't believe people would advise you to go to Hill 16 for a hurling game!!! Coming off a plane and then having to stand for 2 hours and probably get rained on , and having a remote view of much of the game (and it's nonsense that you would get a better atmosphere there too!!!). Go to the stand. Since you want to visit pubs the Hogan is the better option.

The match on Aug 16 is between the Munster champions and a qualifier team. The Munster champs will be known nxt Sunday...it's either going to be Tipperary or Waterford. I expect it will be Tipperary. Tipp will be favourites for that game if they win nxt Sunday. We will have a better idea of who their opponents could be after nxt weekend...Galway, Clare, and Dublin are among the possibilities at this stage as far as I am aware.

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1903 - 08/07/2015 09:21:20    1749622

Handy yoke. Shows you the view from the area your seat is in.

http://www.crokepark.ie/about/seating-plans

Lower Hogan, near the halfway line, near the exit so you'll be under cover and dry and close to the exit to get out quicker to the jacks and to the pubs on fulltime. Pitchside seats are great for being close to the action but your overall view isn't great and you'll get wet wgen it rains.Even better if you can get an aisle seat, you'd get out ahead if the crowd and into the pub before it gets packed! Seriously , you'll have a great time in Croker. You'll get tickets on the day but I'd say book in advance so you can pick where you sit.

Enjoy yourself and tell all your mates about our great games.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7344 - 08/07/2015 10:07:08    1749663

"Only" 55,000 I like that lol. We purchased 2. We were going to wait and get a little higher up but we had a gift coming and put 2 and 2 together and said we have a suggestion. So Hogan Stand Section 328 Row J seats 1 and 2 it is.

And I'm hoping that Sportsnet in Canada might show of the upcoming games.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/leftfield/hurling-appears-on-canadian-tv-and-twitter-goes-nuts-31334153.html

spikewinnipeg (Dublin) - Posts: 5 - 08/07/2015 14:40:18    1749893