We're a great little country all the same. And we love a good stadium.
Almost every county in Ireland can now boats of a 15,000-20,000 seater venue that can easily host a big inter-county game or a League of Ireland football match.
But the daddy of them all is still Croke Park, with its 82,000 plus capacity, and ability to not only showcase the best of GAA talent, but serve as one of the country's finest tourist attractions too.
And now it seems that the old dust bowl by the Royal Canal has made it to top ten ranked stadia in the world by well known Aussie magazine
Traveller.
They've put together a shortlist of what they reckon are the top ten sports venues in the world, and the Drumcondra attraction ranks alongside the Maracana and the MCG as one of the best places to watch a live sporting event.
The magazine describe the magic of watching GAA on the turf as well as the special history behind the iconic venue, although we're a bit miffed they forgot about hurling:
'While it's easy to become obsessed with the soccer kind of football in Europe, it's worth remembering that there's another code that, in Ireland at least, stirs the passions of the masses: Gaelic football. And there's no better place to immerse yourself in the local game than Dublin's Croke Park, an 82,000-seater stadium that hosts the All Ireland Football Final each year. Even if you don't make that huge day, the stadium is a must for any sports fan, with its history stretching back to 1880, and its stands filled with some of Ireland's best characters.'
The full top ten is Wrigley Field, USA, La Bombonera, Argentina, MCG, Australia, Maracana, Brazil, Madison Square Garden, USA, Anfield, UK, Azteca Stadium, Mexico, Eden Gardens, India and Westfalenstadion, Germany.
