[3] The 17-acre (69,000 m2) site was offered to the Gaelic Athletic Association by the town secretary Sean Gillan, and terms of purchase were negotiated.

Since the major redevelopment of the ground, it has regularly hosted the Connacht Senior Football Championship final in recent years.

In 2006 the International Series versus Australia was played in Pearse Stadium which was the first time it took place outside GAA Headquarters Croke Park.

[citation needed] The stadium occasionally receives negative publicity due to the lack of dedicated off-street parking.

In response to repeated representations made by local residents as well as community groups campaigning on pedestrian rights and road safety issues,[4] the Garda Siochana handed out large numbers of parking tickets on at least two occasions in October 2010.