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Ireland has no shortage of football grounds with stories that stretch far beyond the matches once played on their pitches.
Some have been left derelict for years, others have been demolished after disasters or financial problems, while a handful became famous for redevelopment plans that never made it beyond the drawing board.
From west Belfast to Dublin and County Tyrone, these grounds provide a fascinating reminder of how quickly football stadiums can change when clubs, communities and governments can no longer maintain them.
Football Ground Guide looks at some of the most significant abandoned, neglected and never-built stadium projects across the island of Ireland.
Casement Park, Belfast
/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.footballgroundguide.com%2Fmain%2F2026%2F09%2FFotoJet-1-1.jpg "Abandoned stadiums in Ireland: Casement Park and the grounds time forgot 1")
IMAGO / Inpho Photography
Casement Park is perhaps the most famous example of an Irish stadium caught between its past and its future.
The west Belfast GAA ground opened in 1953 but has not hosted a sporting event since June 2013. By the middle of the 2020s, the stadium had become heavily overgrown and increasingly derelict, with its old terraces and structures deteriorating after more than a decade without regular use.
The redevelopment story has been exceptionally complicated. An original proposal for a 38,000-capacity stadium was quashed following a judicial review, before revised plans for a 34,500-capacity venue received planning permission in 2021.
Casement was subsequently selected as one of the venues for Euro 2028, giving the redevelopment fresh urgency. That plan collapsed in September 2024, however, when the UK Government said there was a significant risk that the stadium could not be completed in time for the tournament.
The estimated cost had risen dramatically, with the Government stating that it could potentially exceed £400 million if delivered to the required Euro 2028 specification.
Belfast was consequently removed from the Euro 2028 plans, but that did not end the Casement Park project.
The GAA, Northern Ireland Executive, UK Government and Irish Government have continued to support the redevelopment. By early 2026, £170.5 million had been identified in committed funding, although the final scope, cost and configuration of the stadium remained subject to further work.
Contractors returned to the site in January 2026 to carry out site clearance and demolition works, with further remediation planned. The GAA has continued to describe the redevelopment as a strategic priority, although there is still no simple finish line for a project that has been in development for more than a decade.
Casement Park is therefore no longer simply an abandoned stadium. It is a ground in transition, with the remains of the old venue being cleared while the long-awaited replacement continues to take shape.
Riverside Stadium, Drumahoe
Formerly known as the YMCA Grounds, the stadium became the home of Institute FC and eventually developed into a 3,110-capacity ground, including 1,540 seats. Investment over the years brought new stands, floodlights, improved facilities and the infrastructure required for senior football.
Its downfall came suddenly in August 2017 when severe flooding caused the River Faughan to burst its banks, sending water into the stadium and devastating the pitch, stands and surrounding infrastructure.
Water reportedly reached around seven feet inside the changing rooms, while large quantities of sediment were deposited across the playing surface.
The damage was compounded by Japanese knotweed, which subsequently took hold on the site.
Institute were forced to leave and initially used Wilton Park before establishing a longer-term groundshare at Derry City's Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium. The club has continued to seek a permanent home in the Waterside area.
The Riverside was eventually approved for demolition and the site was earmarked for a return to greenfield use. By 2025, demolition work was finally taking place, bringing an end to what had become an increasingly visible reminder of the flood disaster.
For Institute, however, the story is not simply about losing an old stadium. The club has spent years attempting to replace a home that was taken away by circumstances beyond its control.
St Julian's Road, Omagh
St Julian's Road was once one of the most important football grounds in County Tyrone.
The stadium opened in 1990 and became the home of Omagh Town FC, with the ground capable of holding around 5,000 spectators.
It became particularly associated with the club's successful period during the 1990s, when Omagh competed near the top end of Northern Irish football.
The ground also became part of the town's history in the aftermath of the 1998 Omagh bombing.
Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all visited St Julian's Road for charity matches following the tragedy, with the games helping to bring attention and support to the town at an incredibly difficult time.
Omagh Town eventually collapsed in 2005 after years of financial problems, leaving St Julian's Road without its main tenant. The stadium remained unused and gradually became derelict.
There was talk of bringing the ground back into use, but those plans never materialised. In 2020, the remaining stadium structures were demolished and the site was transformed into St Julian's Park.
The football ground has disappeared, but its history has not. A memorial remains at the park commemorating the visits of the three Premier League clubs after the Omagh bombing.
FGG Says: Football grounds are more than concrete and steel
Ireland's abandoned stadiums demonstrate why football grounds remain such important parts of the game's history.
Some of these venues disappeared because clubs could no longer sustain them, while others were victims of flooding, changing priorities or redevelopment plans that became too expensive to deliver. Yet their stories continue to matter because supporters remember what happened inside them.