Table of Contents
Ireland is an emerging nation in the cricket world. For a number of years, they have been competitive in the limited overs arenas, recording spectacular ODI wins over England and the West Indies in particular.
From 2018 onwards, Ireland were accepted as a full member nation of the International Cricket Council, and they began to play test matches from this point. As part of the deal to allow a country to earn test status, they must have adequate playing facilities.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best cricket stadiums in Ireland.
Malahide
If you have ever watched a game of cricket from Ireland, chances are that Malahide provided the location. This was the venue for the country’s very first test match when they took on Pakistan in 2018.
Malahide Cricket Club Ground is known colloquially as The Village. It was opened way back in 1861 upon the foundation of Malahide Cricket Club. It’s located within the grounds of Malahide Castle, and the facility continued to host minor games for over a hundred years.
The first significant game to be played here was in 1991 when Ireland took on Scotland. Neither team were recognised cricketing nations at that point, but the match was granted first class status.
While Malahide had the honour of hosting Ireland’s first test match, international cricket had been played here for many years prior to 2018. Ireland had competed in official One Day Internationals for some time, and the first ODI to take place here was against England in 2013.
T20 Internationals started with a game between Nepal and Papua New Guinea in 2015. To this day, Malahide is a regular host ground for both men’s and women’s international cricket.
In the present day, The Village at Malahide has a capacity of 11,500. That figure compares favourably with many other international grounds in certain parts of the world, and it also makes this the largest of Ireland’s cricket stadiums.
While the men’s and women’s national teams continue to play here, The Village remains home to Malahide Cricket Club, which is a busy organisation with over 400 members. Leinster Lightning also play provincial matches at this ground.
Stormont
When Ireland aren’t playing at Malahide, they’ll most likely be in Stormont. The Civil Service Cricket Club Ground, to give it its full name, is located in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland.
The cricket ground at Stormont was established in 1949, and it is located within the grounds of Stormont Estate which is home to the Northern Irish Government.
Minor cricket was played here for much of the next fifty years before the national team began to use the facilities here. The first official international match to take place at the Civil Service Ground was a women’s ODI between Ireland and South Africa. The men’s team followed in 2006 with another One Day International, this time against England.
Stormont has yet to host a test match and its reduced capacity means that it may have to wait some time before international red ball cricket arrives here. A test against another smaller nation may be feasible, but the ground continues to hold ODIs and T20s.
That capacity currently comes in at 7,000 which makes Stormont the second largest cricket stadium in the whole of Ireland. Away from international cricket, the Civil Service Ground is home to the MTB Northern Knights who compete in Ireland’s provincial competitions.
Clontarf Cricket Club Ground
Also known as Castle Avenue Cricket Ground, the Stadium at Clontarf can be found in the city of Dublin. Clontarf itself is a coastal town on the northern edge of the capital, and the ground itself is close to Clontarf Castle.
Cricket has been played in the region since the late 19th century. Clontarf Cricket Club played in several locations before their current ground was opened in 1958. Castle Avenue Cricket Ground became their permanent home from that point onwards, and it’s since come under the radar of the Irish national team.
This is another venue to have featured in the 1999 World Cup, and the first One Day International to have been played at Clontarf was a group game between Bangladesh and the West Indies in May of that year.
Ireland would wait until 2007 before playing their first senior international match here. The West Indies were the visitors once again for that historic fixture.
Since then, both the men’s and women’s senior teams have played ODIs and T20 internationals at Castle Avenue. With a small capacity of 3,200, the ground at Clontarf is big enough for those minor limited overs internationals. For games against the bigger teams, Ireland will be focusing on Malahide or Stormont.
Meanwhile, Castle Avenue also provides an alternative home for the Leinster Lightning in Irish provincial cricket.
Bready Cricket Club Ground
The remaining Irish national cricket ground at the time of writing in 2023 is Magheramason in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. With a capacity of 3,000, it is the smallest international stadium, but it still plays an important role.
Bready Cricket Club Ground opened in 1989. It initially became the home of Bready Cricket Club who had been active in the region since the 1930s. The club still uses it now, and they continue to be listed as the registered owners and operators.
The Bready ground is small but impressive, and it has been used at times by the Irish national team. To date, only one ODI has been played here, and that was between Ireland and Zimbabwe in 2019.
T20 internationals are held more regularly, and the first of these was between Ireland and Scotland in 2015.
Women’s ODIs and T20is are also played at Bready on an occasional basis.
Despite that relative lack of international exposure, there have been some impressive individual performances at the Bready Cricket Ground. In that solitary one day international in 2019, there were two centuries – 105 from Zimbabwe’s Craig Ervine and 101 from Andrew Balbirnie of Ireland.
Ireland’s power hitting batter Paul Stirling added a rapid century in a T20 international. Playing against Zimbabwe in 2021, Stirling hit an undefeated 115 from 75 deliveries.
Bready Cricket Ground will continue to step in and cover limited overs internationals when it is required. However, certain future developments may mean that it will disappear from Ireland’s radar in the future.
Future Grounds
While Ireland already has four national cricket stadiums, there are plans in place to add another option. While the capacity of Malahide at 11,000 can accommodate many visiting teams, there needs to be a bigger ground if Ireland are ever to host the major teams.
After much discussion and planning, the new facility looks set to be built at Abbottstown, on the outskirts of Dublin. The venue will provide the location for the new national sport campus and it’s hoped that the stadium will be opened by 2030 when Ireland will co-host the T20 World Cup.
There is no confirmed news on capacity as yet, but it’s thought that the new stadium at Abbottstown could accommodate up to 30,000 spectators.
Closing Thoughts
They may be one of the smaller full member nations of the International Cricket Council, but the playing facilities in Ireland are impressive. The 11,000 capacity for their main facility at Malahide compares well to certain other nations, and it’s a logical place for the country to compete in tests and other internationals.
Clearly, if the sport is to continue to grow, Ireland will need a bigger stadium in the future. That’s why the complex at Abbottstown is so important, as it will give the country a chance to host major ICC nations such as England, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and Pakistan.
The future looks promising, but Ireland already possesses some impressive cricket stadiums.
