It also hosted friendly matches featuring Manchester United, Liverpool and the Republic of Ireland national football team.

To further raise funds to develop the ground, the committee also organised lotteries and football pools and held fundraising dances at Cork City Hall featuring, among others, Joe Loss and Victor Silvester.

An English grounds expert was employed, a Cork firm undertook the work of laying the pitch and an elaborate drainage system was also installed.

[8] On 28 December 1975 Cork Celtic also staged one significant 1975–76 League of Ireland home game against Drogheda United at Flower Lodge.

In expectation of a big crowd, Cork Celtic moved the game from their regular home ground, Turners Cross, to the much larger Flower Lodge.

[13][14] In their 1982–83 FAI Cup semi-final four match marathon encounter with Sligo Rovers, Cobh Ramblers played their two home ties at Flower Lodge.

The last game Cork City played at Flower Lodge was a 1985–86 FAI Cup semi-final tie against Shamrock Rovers.

[17] During the Big Freeze of 1963 when fixtures in England were cancelled due to poor weather conditions, Manchester United, Bolton Wanderers, Coventry and Wolves played a series of friendlies at Flower Lodge.

[23][24] Also as part of the Cork 800 celebrations the Republic of Ireland women's national football team played a 1987 Euro qualifier against England at Flower Lodge on 22 September 1985.

This match was originally scheduled to take place in 1985 as part of Cork 800 celebrations but was rescheduled because of the post-Heysel Stadium disaster ban.

Floodlights were added a decade later and the first time they were used was on 1 February 2003 when Cork played Kerry in a 2003 National Football League game.

Páirc Uí Rinn has only occasionally hosted Senior Championship level hurling and Gaelic football matches.

To bring Páirc Uí Rinn up to Senior Championship level standard the ground was refurbished in early 2015.