Dalymount Park (Irish: Páirc Chnocán Uí Dhálaigh) is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland.
[7][8] Dalymount Park was originally common land with a large vegetable plot and known as Pisser Dignam's Field until it was taken over by Bohemian F.C.
On that day, it was just an ordinary field enclosed by a corrugated iron fence, the playing pitch being separated from the spectators by a roped barrier and a tent at one end served as dressing rooms for the players.
Huge improvements happened to the ground during the 1927/28 season; the galvanised iron boundary was replaced by a 10 ft wall having 20 turnstile houses and entrance and exit gates at a cost of £2,520.
More banking and terracing around the entire pitch were completed, crush barriers erected and new-style houses installed (bringing the total to 28).
[11] In its heyday, Dalymount Park, or "Dalyer" as it is popularly known, regularly saw crowds of up to 40,000 for big games, however, whether it was ever able to accommodate this number of spectators safely is open to question.
Kettle elaborated in the Dublin Evening Mail that the club had “approached their bankers, the Munster and Leinster Bank, their members, players, traders, FAI and League of Ireland for financial assistance”, before adding “Bohs are keeping open their fund and will only be to happy to receive any further contributions.
A similar crowd attended the first entry of an Irish team into the European Cup, when Shamrock Rovers played Manchester United in 1957.
On the 19th November 1967, with Shelbourne losing 0:2 to Bohemians in a League of Ireland match, Jimmy O'Connor scored a hat-trick within 2 minutes and 13 seconds[13] as Shels came back to win 3:2.
However, by the 1980s, Dalymount had been sidelined by the more modern and larger Lansdowne Road rugby union ground for Irish football internationals.
In February 1985, when Ireland played the then World Champions, Italy, at Dalymount Park, it was clear that the old ground could not accommodate the 40,000 or so spectators who turned up to see the game.
Fans had to be passed down to the sidelines to avoid being crushed and serious questions were raised about whether Dalymount was a viable venue for modern sport.
The old "Shed End", now called "The Des Kelly Carpets Stand" has similarly had seats added and now has a capacity of 1485 and is now commonly used as an away section.
In December 2010, Sporting Fingal announced that they were to play their home games at Dalymount during the 2011 Airtricity League season however, the club folded less than two months later.
[6] Dalymount hosted a game in the 2011 UEFA Regions' Cup between Ligue de Normandie of France and Abruzzo of Italy.
[15] On 4 May 2006, Bohemian FC members voted to authorise the club's board's entry into negotiations which would have resulted in the sale of the Dalymount Park site to property developer Liam Carroll and the demolition of the ground itself.
Bohemians would have relocated to a purpose-built (at a projected cost of €21 million, to be met by the developer) 10,000-seat stadium near Dublin Airport off the M50 motorway, four miles from the club's current home.
lost a court case versus Albion Ltd over the ownership of a section of Dalymount Park at the Tramway End of the ground which put the contract with Liam Carroll in serious doubt.
[31][32] In February 2024, Dublin City Council approved a grant of €40 million for the redevelopment of the stadium to a capacity of 8,000, with the club hoping to complete construction by the 2027 season.
[36] On 21 August 1977, Dalymount was the second Irish venue to host a rock concert by Thin Lizzy after their 1970 festival in Richmond Park, Inchicore[37][38] and the Boomtown Rats and was profiled in Hot Press magazine.
[39] In 1993 and 1994, Dalymount Park hosted the sunstroke festival featuring the cream of alternative music such as Faith No More, Sonic Youth, Sugar, Belly, the disposable heroes of hiphoprisy, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Therapy?, Helmet amongst others.
[40][41] In 2015 Dalymount Park hosted Shamrock Bowl XXIX for the IAFL between the Belfast Trojans and Trinity College Dublin American Football.