Concerts in GAA stadiums have become increasingly common in recent years, with county boards around the country looking to cash in by renting out the high capacity venues they have at their disposal.
Croke Park has long been a regular host for some of the world's biggest musical acts, with a number of gigs taking place at the Jones' Road venue each year.
As well as that, Páirc Uí Chaoimh is becoming an increasingly popular stadium for concerts. The likes of Ed Sheeran, Elton John, and Westlife played there in 2022.
However, it seems some county boards are now shying away from these events due to the impact they have on the grounds.
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Galway GAA reveal damage caused by Ed Sheeran gigs
Pearse Stadium in Salthill has hosted concerts in the past, including two Ed Sheeran gigs in 2018.
However, the Galway county board are hesitant to sanction further gigs in the future due to the impact it had on the ground's playing surface.
As reported by the Irish Times, when quizzed about potential concerts at the venue in the future, county board treasurer Paul Burke revealed how much damage the Ed Sheeran one did in the past.
The amount of damage that can be done to a pitch, I would safely say that after the Ed Sheeran concerts it took at least a year for our pitch to recover.
Ed Sheeran played two gigs at Pearse Park in May of the 2018. They certainly seemed to cause some damage to the pitch at the time, with the below picture taken two weeks after the events.
27 May 2018; A general view of the pitch before the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 3 match between Galway and Kilkenny at Pearse Stadium in Galway. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Galway GAA chairman Paul Bellew said that hosting concerts is not necessarily the money spinner many would assume it to be for many county boards.
From my own perspective, the value of the concerts is highly overrated. Our stadiums are GAA stadiums.
Don’t get me into other county situations but to me if we are ever to move matches where we have to park our games to accommodate concerts is just an apathy.
Our pitches are for playing and unless you have concessions, or unless you hold the bar or unless you have the facilities like a Páirc Uí Chaoimh or a Croke Park, the hassle of a concert is not really worth it overall.
The concerts can bring more trouble than they are worth.
Don't expect to hear 'Galway Girl' sang live at Pearse Park again anytime soon.
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