New Dome en route from Slovenia
THE new Air Dome is waiting in Slovenia to be sent to the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan.
It’s almost 12 months to the day since Storm Éowyn ripped through the University of Galway Connacht GAA Air Dome in the early hours of January 24.
The €3.1million facility was officially opened in December 2021 by then GAA President Larry McCarthy, as one of the largest indoor sports air domes in the world.
It was 26 metres in height at its highest point and its full-size 4G astro turf pitch was used by inter-county teams, club sides, and schools in County Galway, Connacht, and nationwide.
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, the wheels were put in motion to get the Air Dome replaced and back in situ.
“It’s sitting in Slovenia at the moment. It’s a fairly logistical issue to get it here. We’ll have it by the end of this month hopefully, or if not, the first week or ten days in February,” said Connacht GAA CEO John Prenty.
“All the groundworks for it are being done. The lights and stanchions are being readied, so that when it comes here, it will just be a matter of putting it together. Once it’s inflated, there will probably be three weeks worth of work inside it at least to get it ready to play.
“We’re hoping to get it up in April at the earliest.”
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