Tolka | |
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  Tolka Park Location within Dublin | |
| Full name | Tolka Park |
|---|---|
| Location | Drumcondra,Dublin,Ireland |
| Public transit | Drumcondra railway station |
| Capacity | 5,250[1] |
| Opened | 1924 |
| Tenants | |
| Home Farm Drums (1950s–1989) Shelbourne (1950s–) Shamrock Rovers (1987–1988, 2005-2006) Ireland national rugby league team (1998–2006) | |
Tolka Park (Irish:Páirc na Tulchann) is anIrishassociation football ground located in thenorthDublin suburb ofDrumcondra, on the northern banks of theRiver Tolka. It is currently the home ground ofLeague of Ireland clubShelbourne men's andwomen's senior sides.[2] The stadium formerly held 9,680 people, but this has been scaled down in recent times due to health and safety regulations in the venue, mainly concerning the 'New' and Ballybough stands. Tolka Park has hosted national cup finals along with international matches, inter-league games,Champions League qualifiers,UEFA Cup Winners' Cup,UEFA Cup,UEFA Conference League ties,Setanta Sports Cup finals and was a host venue for the1994 UEFA European Under-16 Championship, the2000 Rugby League World Cup, and the2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[3] The ground has also in the past been used for boxing championships and basketball.
Shelbourne secured a 250-year lease from Dublin City Council in 2024.[4] Uncertainty began with the sale of the ground by Shelbourne to businessman Ossie Kilkenny in 2006,[5] the purchase of the ground by Dublin City Council in 2015, and a proposal to redevelopDalymount Park as a shared home for Shelbourne andBohemians.[6][7][8]
Over the years, seven different League of Ireland clubs have used Tolka Park for home league matches on a regular basis. They areDrumcondra,Shelbourne,Dolphin,Home Farm,Dublin City,Shamrock Rovers andSt James's Gate.
Tolka Park was originally home toDrumcondra, who in the 1950s, and 1960s were one of the most popular teams in Dublin.[citation needed]
Tolka’s first League of Ireland game was held on the opening day of the1928-29 League of Ireland season on 26 August 1928 when newly elected Drumcondra hostedShamrock Rovers.
In 1929, over 30 people were injured at the ground when a hoarding collapsed at a Drumcondra vsShelbourne cup-tie.[9] The ground hosted the first floodlit fixture in the Republic of Ireland on 30 March 1953 when Drums beatSt Mirren.[10]
On 26 January 1958 Tolka was the venue for the first all-ticket match to be played in the League of Ireland when Drums hosted Shamrock Rovers. Due to crowd issues the match was subsequently abandoned with the points awarded to Rovers. That same year, the first advertising hoardings appeared in Tolka Park which were forGuinness.[11]
However "Drums" merged with local teamHome Farm in 1972, and after the demise of Drumcondra, Home Farm moved into the ground. During Drums time in Tolka they won both theLeague of Ireland andFAI Cup on five occasions.
However, Home Farm never drew large crowds and Tolka fell into disrepair (though it did host the replay of the 1984 FAI Cup final). After a shockFAI Cup final win over Shels, Home Farm played their only ever home European tie in Tolka Park against French sideLens in the1975–76 European Cup Winners' Cup first round.
In 1989, Shelbourne, who had played home games regularly in Tolka during the fifties, sixties, seventies, and early eighties, acquired Home Farm's long term lease fromDublin Corporation on the ground. Home Farm moved to their own ground in nearbyWhitehall Stadium. Shelbourne invested heavily in the stadium, converting it into Ireland's first all-seater stadium and building a new stand behind the Drumcondra end goal in 1999.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Shels would regularly host topPremier League sides in high profile, profitable friendly games such asManchester United F.C.,Liverpool F.C. andLeeds United F.C.Celtic F.C. were regular visitors as well along with more unusual guests such asClub Universidad Nacional ofMexico,FC Dnipro ofUkraine, andBrøndby IF.
The first-everLeague of Ireland match to be broadcast live on TV was a fixture between Shelbourne andDerry City, staged at Tolka Park during the 1996/97 season.
On 7 April 1998, an FAI Cup semi-final replay againstFinn Harps F.C. was delayed due to a bomb scare.[12]
However, Shelbourne FC ran into several severe problems that had put the future of Tolka Park in doubt. One problem was a flood in 2002[13] that caused extensive damage to the pitch and greatly increased the club's insurance costs. But a far more serious long-term problem was caused by the club's getting into severe debt through overspending on playing staff. In 2006,Ollie Byrne, Shelbourne Chief Executive sold the ground to property developer Ossie Kilkenny to help repay the club's debts.[14][15] Legal action between the parties who bought the ground delayed its demolition and development,[16] as had a slowdown in the Irish property market.[17] By 2011, the club were reporting that the ground was in need of maintenance.[18]
In June 2022, legendary ItalianDjMauro Picotto played an exclusive set in the club bar after a Shelbourne home match.[19]
Over 1,000 Shels fans watched their side win the2024 League of Ireland Premier Division on three big screens on the final day of the season as the club was officially only allocated 300 tickets for the final match in Derry.[20][21]
On the opening day of the2025 League of Ireland Premier Division season, the Tolka Park floodlights failed at half-time against Derry City. The issue was eventually resolved with the second half starting approximately 50 minutes late.[22]
While Shelbourne's senior teams have been playing at Tolka Park, they have won 8League of Ireland Men's Premier Division titles, 6FAI Cups, 2League of Ireland Women's Premier Divisions and 2FAI Women's Cups. The 2025 season is the men's side sixty-first season and the women's side seventh season[23] playing home league games in Tolka Park. The men's side have played 20 homeUEFA club competition games in Tolka.
In 1987, the then owners ofShamrock Rovers, the Kilcoyne family, attempted to move the club to Tolka Park. Rovers played there for a season, but the games were boycotted by some of their fans, who were trying to saveGlenmalure Park from demolition.
Rovers returned to the ground in 1996 which they rented for a time from Shelbourne on and off (1996–1999, 2001–2002, 2004–2005 and 2006–2008) whileTallaght Stadium was being developed. They eventually moved into the Tallaght Stadium in 2009. Rovers' home tie against Sligo Rovers during the 2009 season was moved to Tolka Park amid safety concerns due to construction on-site at Tallaght before the club friendly against Real Madrid.[24] During their time in Tolka, the Hoops played three European ties at the venue, againstOmonia Nicosia[25] in the1987–88 European Cup, againstAltay in the1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup, and againstDjurgården in the2002–03 UEFA Cup.[26]
Down the years, numerous otherLeague of Ireland clubs have used Tolka Park for domestic and European games.Dolphin used Tolka during their final two seasons (1935–36 and 1936–37) in the league for some games,St James's Gate during the mid-1990s, andDublin City during their short existence in the early2000s.
In the1984–85 European Cup Winners' Cup,U.C.D. hosted eventual tournament winnersEverton at Tolka and drew 0:0 in front of 10,000 fans.[27] In 1990,Bray Wanderers playedTrabzonspor in theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup in Tolka.[28]St Patrick's Athletic played two European ties in Tolka during the 1990s, againstDinamo București[29] andCeltic.[30] In 1999Bohemians played home league games for two months in Tolka due to redevelopment work atDalymount Park[31] and in 2000, twoUEFA Cup ties againstAberdeen[32] andKaiserslautern.[33]Dundalk played their2002–03 UEFA Cup tie againstVarteks in Tolka.[34]
In March 1993,Drogheda United hostedAston Villa in a friendly match in Tolka Park.[35]
Tolka Park has staged two full internationals for theRepublic of Ireland men in 1981 and 1993. Both matches were friendlies againstWales.
| Date | Home | Score | Opponent | Competition | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 February 1981 |  Republic of Ireland | 1–3 |  Wales | Friendly | 15,000[36] |
| 17 February 1993 | Republic of Ireland | 2–1 | Wales | Friendly | 9,500[37] |
Anne O'Brien scored ahat-trick at Tolka Park in 1971, as her Vards team beat St John Bosco 3–2 in the final of the Drumcondra Cup.[38] Tolka Park hosted the 2010FAI Women's Cup final, in whichÁine O'Gorman scored a hat-trick to helpPeamount United beatSalthill Devon 4–2.[39] TheRepublic of Ireland women have sporadically played games at Tolka Park including a 0–0 friendly draw againstFrance in September 1978[40] and a 1–01999 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (UEFA) defeat byPoland in November 1997.[41]
In March 2019Shelbourne's women's team announced that they would play their home fixtures at Tolka Park, instead of the isolated AUL Complex.[42] In October 2021 theTG4Irish language television network broadcast the first everWomen's National League match.Alex Kavanagh scored the goal in Shelbourne's 1–0 win overDLR Waves at Tolka Park.[43]
TheIrish Rugby League Team have also played home games at the ground and hosted two games of the2000 Rugby League World Cup.[44]
| Date | Home | Score | Opponent | Competition | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 November 1998 |  Ireland | 22–24 |  France | European Tri Nations Championship | 1,511[44] |
| 31 October 1999 | Ireland | 31–10 |  Scotland | Triangular Series | 385[44] |
| 1 November 2000 | Ireland | 18–6 | Scotland | 2000 Rugby League World Cup | 1,782[44] |
| 4 November 2000 | Ireland | 30–16 |  Maori | 2000 Rugby League World Cup | 3,164[44] |
| 5 November 2006 | Ireland | 18–18 |  Lebanon | 2008 RLWC qualifying | 450[44] |
The venue hosted the 1984FAI Cup final replay in 1984 and hosted the final from 1999 until the second final in 2002 then the fixture was shifted back toLansdowne Road. The stadium hosted the firstSetanta Cup Final whenLinfield defeated Shelbourne in 2005 and hosted the final in 2006. Tolka hosted two games in the2011 UEFA Regions' Cup. The venue has also hosted numerousFAI Intermediate Cup andFAI Junior Cup finals as well asLeague of Ireland Cup finals.
Tolka Park has also hosted 15 games for theLeague of Ireland XI representative side, the first being against theIrish League representative team in 1960.
In August 1938, September 1939 and April 1947 it held boxing championship bouts.[45][46][47]
On 8 June 1951,Jack Doyle faced “Two Ton”Tony Galento in a professional wrestling match in front of 22,500 attendees.[48][49]
In 1959, the world famousHarlem Globetrotters played two basketball matches in Tolka Park on a specially imported court.[50]
TheRichmond Road Stand orMain Stand runs the length of the north side of the pitch. TheTechnical area is located at the stand as well as the Directors' Box,Box office, StadiumBar andFirst aid area. The stand is named after Richmond Road which is directly behind the stand. The club bar is situated underneath Section E, which is at the eastern end of the stand.
TheRiverside Stand runs the length of the south side of the pitch. Today it is mainly used forBroadcasting and seating home fans. It is named after theRiver Tolka which runs behind the stand.
TheDrumcondra Stand orNew Stand is located behind the goal at the west end of the ground and it is the most recent stand opened in 2000. The stand is named after the town ofDrumcondra which is located behind the stand. TheUltras within the club's support base formerly congregated in the Drumcondra Stand, but it has been closed since 2019 due to major structural issues with the roof. The Drumcondra stand also houses the dressing rooms. The club shop is located beside the stand.
TheBallybough End is located behind the goal at the east end of the ground. It is named after the neighbourhood ofBallybough which is located behind the stand. The Ballybough stand became neglected over the years due to the decreased attendance of Shelbourne. It was deemed unsafe and closed by the Dublin Fire Brigade Health and Safety Unit in 2010. The stand was reopened in time for the 2022 season to house away fans. The broken seats that formerly occupied the stand were removed and replaced with standing barriers, transforming the lower half of the stand into a terrace with a capacity of 800. This may be increased in the future pending other infrastructural improvements.[51] In July 2023, the away allocation for visiting clubs in the Ballybough End increased by 250, for a total capacity of 1,050.
Following the sale of Tolka Park in 2006, Shelbourne had been trying to relocate to a new ground. Plans for a new stadium inFinglas andSwords came to nothing, as has an FAI-backed proposed ground-share with North Dublin neighboursBohemians. Plans were underway in March and April 2015 for theCouncil to take back ownership of the land, and for Shelbourne to groundshare Bohemians in (newly Council-owned)Dalymount Park.[6][56][57] On 4 October 2016 Shelbourne announced that they would leave Tolka Park for a newly refurbished Dalymount Park.[58] In April 2021, the Dalymount redevelopment was expected to conclude by 2025.[59]
A local campaign called 'Save Tolka Park' was set up with the aim to secure the future of the stadium and prevent the stadium from being demolished.[60] In February 2022, the city council agreed to examine the feasibility of the sale of the stadium back to Shelbourne.[7]
Tolka Park is served byIrish Rail commuter services that stop atDrumcondra, on routes to and fromDublin Connolly servingM3 Parkway,Maynooth, andHazelhatch/Celbridge. Most services to/fromLongford andSligo also serve Drumcondra. The stadium is also served by Clontarf Road DART station which is approximately a 2 km walk away.
Dublin Bus routes 1 | 13 | 16 | 33 | 41 | 41b | 41c | 44 also stop near the stadium on the Drumcondra Road. DB routes H1 | H2 | H3 | 15 | 27 | 27X | 42 serve nearby Fairview while the N2 stops on Griffith Avenue.
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| Preceded by None | Host of theSetanta Sports Cup Final 2005 2006 | Succeeded by |
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