Páirc Uí Chaoimh gigs ‘a tricky balancing act’

The CEO of Cork GAA, Kevin O’Donovan, has said that the board will continue talks with promoters to bring concerts to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2026 and beyond.

Mr O’Donovan said that while there are no concerts scheduled at the venue for 2025, there are hopes for further entertainment options at the facility in coming years.

“We find ourselves in a middle tier in terms of concerts, we don’t have an 80,000 [person] capacity as Croke Park would,” Mr O’Donovan said on Cork’s 96FM’s Opinion Line with PJ Coogan.

“We have to be very careful taking risks with smaller acts because you can lose your shirt in terms of the infrastructure and the repairs to the pitch if you don’t go close to a sell-out.

“Promoters have told us that they would have struggled with any of our concerts if it doesn’t reach a sell-out, because that’s where the profit is.

“Forty thousand [person capacity] would be our number, and if you’re not clearing 35,000, that brings pressure on the financial model,” he added.

“The other aspect we have to consider is that it is the home of the Cork teams.

“There was a lot of controversy when we moved the Cork-Donegal football game last year because of Bruce [Springsteen] — there was major fallout.

“It’s a tricky balancing act, you need a bit of luck,” he said.

“We would have always targeted having two to three concerts a year, but now it looks a little bit more hit or miss.”

Mr O’Donovan went on to say that the board would be open to discussing a five-year deal with a promoter to deliver three concerts per year at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, however pre-planning of acts would be imperative for the success of the deal.

“We are trying to move the dial a little bit in terms of engaging with smaller promoters, for marquee events on the pitch or carpark, but those are higher risk,” said Mr O’Donovan.

“There are high costs associated with running infrastructure events — we’re not afraid to take a chance, but empty concerts are a dangerous business... [however] there’s nothing better than a concert in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.”

While concerts are not on the cards for 2025, Mr O’Donovan highlighted the success of ticket sales for the upcoming National Hurling League final between Cork and Tipperary, scheduled to take place at the venue on April 6.

“We were looking at the counter and there was 25,000 tickets gone in 40 minutes, and the rest was gone within an hour or two,” said Mr O’Donovan.

“The average attendance for the last three national league finals was 15,000 [people].

“We sold over 40,000 [tickets] in a couple of hours.

“That’ll tell you the frenzy that’s in Cork GAA at the moment.”