The GAA Museum is challenging fun-loving families to conquer the Croke Park Bucket List Challenge this summer by partaking in some of the most memorable visitor experiences at the iconic home of the GAA.
Croke Park is Ireland’s largest sporting arena, one of Dublin’s top visitor attractions and offers the perfect school holiday activity. The famous stadium, which has a match day capacity of 82,300 passionate fans, features a trio of award-winning visitor experiences - the Croke Park Stadium Tour, the Ericsson Skyline Tour and the GAA Museum.
Here are the top visitor attractions that you must experience on your visit to the GAA Museum & Tours this summer.
1) Find your club on the Club Wall
The first thing that you will see when you arrive in front of the GAA Museum under the Cusack stand at Croke Park is the Club Wall. This impressive display features the crest of every GAA club in Ireland. There’s always huge excitement as families search for their own club.
2) Test your family’s GAA knowledge on the Junior Explorer Trail
A trip to Croke Park simply wouldn’t be complete without experiencing the treasured GAA Museum. A special trail has been designed for children, where they can follow clues and discover the museum’s most famous exhibits. If they complete the Junior Explorer Passport, they’ll receive a special badge and sticker pack. And your kids can spend the rest of the summer reciting interesting GAA facts to their friends and family.
3) Run through the Players’ Tunnel to the sounds of roaring crowds
Does your child dream of being the next GAA All-Star? Give them a taste of how it might feel as they make the spine tingling run through the iconic Players’ Tunnel on the Croke Park Stadium Tour to the sounds of roaring crowds, picturing thousands of passionate fans cheering them on.
4) Replicate the All-Ireland Final cup life with Liam and Sam
Experience the thrill of a GAA All-Ireland Senior Championship crowning moment and have your photo taken holding a replica of the Liam MacCarthy and Sam Maguire cups high above your head on the famous trophy presentation area in the Hogan Stand. The exciting moment can be followed with the chance to see the original Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy Cups up close in the GAA Museum.
5) Get a pitch-side selfie wearing your county or club colours
If your family is GAA mad, then you simply cannot miss the opportunity to dress up in your club or county colours and get a selfie to beat all selfies beside the perfectly manicured Croke Park pitch. The photo can take pride of place at home and is a great memento of the summer holidays to bring into school in September.
6) Find your county jersey in the team dressing rooms
During the Stadium Tour, you’ll get behind-the-scenes access to areas normally reserved for players and officials, like the team dressing rooms. See where the players and management tog out in preparation for match day and share in that pre-match sensation of nervous excitement. All the county jerseys are on display, so nab your spot next to yours.
7) Guess how many balls are in the Players Lounge chandelier
On the access-all-areas Stadium Tour, your family will get to view the Player’s Lounge, where the teams go to unwind and celebrate after the All-Ireland with their families. The challenge here is to guess how many footballs and sliotars are in the magnificent bespoke Waterford crystal chandelier. Will your kids guess correctly? Using LED technology, the balls can change colour depending on the teams participating, so you might even be lucky enough to see your county colours on display.
8) Experience life as a GAA commentator
Step into the shoes of Marty Morrissey or Joanne Cantwell and experience life as a Gaelic games commentator as you take a seat in the GAA media centre on Level 7, where the sports journalists take up residence on match day. Your family will take in some fascinating media insights from your passionate tour guide and you’ll get to experience the ultimate birds eye view of the stadium.
Budding pundits will also love the GAA Museum’s new exhibition Tuning In – From Wireless to WiFi, which looks at the history of the games being broadcast on our national airwaves. It explores how media coverage of the Gaelic games has changed over the years from the great Michael O’Hehir to today’s digital media.
9) Test your hurling and football skills
The GAA Museum’s Interactive Games Zone is a big hit with all ages. Here your family can test their own hurling and football skills and see if they have what it takes to make it into the Hall of Fame in the future. See how fast your family can react, check your passing skills and practice a fingertip save or the art of the high catch.
10) See Dublin from 17 stories high
The Ericsson Skyline Tour is the thrilling rooftop walkway tour on top of Croke Park. This alternative guided tour of Dublin brings to life stories of our capital’s most famous landmarks from this unique panoramic vantage point. Will anyone lose their nerve as they step out onto the cantilever that suspends out over the pitch itself? You can also now download their new free augmented reality app– at each viewing point, hover your phone and watch these iconic landmarks spring to life. Lots of fun for tech mad kids and adventurers alike. Just make sure family members are at least 1.2m tall.
If you succeed in completing the Bucket List Challenge this summer, then make sure you share your pictures on social media and tag @CrokePark with hashtag #CrokeParkTours.
For more information on tours times and booking, visit www.crokepark.ie/gaamuseum.
