The GAA acquire Croke Park

Rule 42 has been temporarily suspended, foreign games and anthems have been played in Croke Park and life goes on. Other sports have been played there; American football, baseball and boxing being prime examples but they did not have the same baggage as soccer and rugby.

Over €20 million in rent has been a help. The match against Wales in 2007 was not the first soccer match at the venue. At Croke Park definitely but not at the venue. Indeed, it might never have been used as a GAA venue if the others had their way.
In the 1870s it was known as the City and Suburban Sports Grounds and then later as Jones’ Road Sports Grounds. Owned by Dublin businessman Maurice Butterly, it was available for renting and was used by a number of different bodies. It was the first home of Bohemians FC, who rented part of it. 
Bohs are known as the Gypsies and they have had a number of ‘homes’ in their history. They remained there from 1883 until 1885, when they moved to Whitehall.
The GAA was also regular tenants and the first All-Ireland finals played there were on March 15, 1896. Tipperary defeated Meath by four points to three in the football and made it a double when Tubberadora overcame Tullaroan by 6-8 to 1-0 in the hurling.   
In 1908, the City and Suburban Racecourse and Amusement Group Ltd was being wound up. Former President Frank Dineen recognised the importance of the venue for the new organisation and he personally raised the money and bought the site from the Butterly family to ensure that it would remain a sports ground. The purchase price was £3,250.
In those years, the GAA had decided to erect a memorial to their first patron, Archbishop Croke. There were a number of fundraisers including the Croke Cup Tournament – which Clare won in 1905. A memorial was erected in Thurles but the organisation was left with a sizeable surplus. They decided they needed a permanent home of their own and, in true GAA fashion, a committee was set up to examine venues around Dublin.
When they reported back there were only two venues – Jones Road and Elm Park in south Dublin. Dineen was prepared to sell Jones Road for £4,000 and the other venue was costing £5,000. In spite of the fact that they had been using Jones Road for years, the committee recommended Elm Park.
Dineen suspected that they were going to go for Elm Park and he dropped his price. At the next meeting Dineen dropped again to £3,500 and the matter was put to a vote. On a count of eight to seven, the GAA decided to buy Jones Road. That was how close it came to there never being a Croke Park as we know it.
As if to prove that it does not pay to antagonise the ‘suits’, it is only now, very belatedly, that Frank Dineen is getting some recognition in the ground he saved for Gaelic Games with the renaming of the Hill as the Dineen Hill 16. 
The deal officially went through when the GAA paid £1,500 cash and took on a bank debt of £2,000 on December 18 1913 – 96 years ago this week.