Call for Progress on Shared Sports Facilities in Dundalk

I am calling for progress on shared municipal facilities in Dundalk

Recently I issued a press release on shared municipal sports facilities in Dundalk (and Louth) prioritising additional sports fields and a parkland 5km running route.

I noted that the new Athletics Track and County Stadium are excellent facilities that the town and county have long needed. They show what can be achieved. At the same time, a growing number of local clubs are landlocked or struggling to cope with rising membership: St Dominic’s, Rock Celtic, Dundalk Gaels, Dundalk Young Islanders, Sean O’Mahony’s, Quay Celtic, Dundalk FC and their academies, to name a few, but the list goes on and on of clubs in the same boat – no room to expand and facilities stretched to the limit. These clubs are bursting at the seams, especially with youth and girls’ teams. We need proper municipal facilities that can be shared and used by the whole community. This is in the context of clubs that are doing everything right, being inclusive, branching out into their communities, but running out of road and room.

I pointed to the recently adopted Louth Local Sports and Physical Activity Plan 2026–2031, which already recognises that most public facilities are at capacity and that Dundalk’s growing population needs new outdoor provision. The Plan itself tells us the facilities are full and that more multi-use pitches and outdoor recreation routes are needed.

What’s needed now is action on the ground. Shared sporting pitches would help massively. Realistically, in our climate, astroturf surfaces will have to form part of the offerings. I know I’ve mentioned previously that the old dump site could be an ideal location for this, and I understand that is being considered, but other locations should also be examined. As Dundalk grows, so must the facilities to match. This is to enable everyone who wants to participate to do so, and to ensure that we can develop talented young athletes here in Dundalk and Louth.

I also think the council should be ambitious and purchase land to create a proper off-road 5km running loop in parkland that walkers, runners and families can use safely. Somewhere like coastal lands off the Red-Barns Road could be perfect for this.

So, I'm inviting clubs, running groups and interested residents to get involved. I think it would be beneficial to form a working group of people with different sporting backgrounds, in different disciplines, to work with the council on this: to document the scale of the pressure and to hold the plan accountable for delivery. If you’re from a club that’s under pressure or you just want to see better facilities in Dundalk, get in touch with me and we’ll get the ball rolling.