EDITORIAL - Rugby in MacHale Park a huge success

THERE were some eyebrows raised when it was first announced just before Christmas that Connacht Rugby where to play their BKT United Rugby Championship interprovincial clash with Munster in Castlebar in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park but last Saturday's clash was undoubtedly a huge success all round.

It has been a long time since the home of Mayo GAA has been packed to capacity and the atmosphere in and around the ground from early morning on Saturday was truly something to behold.

Connacht fans from all around the province travelled in huge numbers and so did the loyal Munster following to create an atmosphere that will be remembered by all those in attendance for a very long time to come.

Connacht Rugby really did pull out all the stops to make sure everything went smoothly on the day and the game itself did not disappoint with the home side staging a dramatic late comeback after Munster looked like they were going to run away with the game after an outstanding first half performance.

Professionalism

While the professionalism of Connacht Rugby had to be admired, there was also a huge voluntary effort from both Mayo GAA and Castlebar Mitchels, with many helping out with the stewarding of the event as well as working on the hospitality side of the day.

Castlebar has in recent years had to play second fiddle to the likes of Westport and Ballina when it comes to attracting large numbers of visitors to Mayo but the hotels, B & Bs, pubs and restaurants all enjoyed a bumper weekend and the event really gave the county town a huge economic boost at what normally would be a relatively quiet time of the year.

The whole event has now created a blueprint which should be put in place again for the hosting of big events in Castlebar. Connacht Rugby are obviously not going to be able to play a whole host of games in Castlebar due to the huge investment they are making at their homeground in Galway but there seems to be no reason why MacHale Park could not host other events, particularly music concerts, which again would attracts large numbers to the county town, as President of the Chamber of Commerce Anne Conlon stated before Saturday's game.

“The town has really got behind it, the businesses have got behind it. They are doing different promotions for people that are coming from Connacht and Munster to stay with us and also to come down into the town afterwards. This will be our template and we would love to be running these events consistently. We would be open to concerts, we are looking at bands as well coming to Castlebar town. We have a fantastic stadium that fits between 26-28,000 people. We have got the facilities around it, we have the people in the town to support it and run it. There is a great spirit, there is a great collaboration and we would love as a Chamber to be leading out events like this,” said Ms Conlon.

PICTURES: Historic Connacht Rugby match in MacHale Park

Spin-off

The spin-off from Saturday's game not only benefited Castlebar but also the surrounding towns with many choosing to also stay in accommodation in Westport and Claremorris due to the fact that most places in Castlebar were sold-out on Saturday night.

Thomond Park in Limerick regularly hosts music concerts so many of the promoters involved in the music industry should surely now look at the possibility of bringing some big name acts to Castlebar this summer or later in the year.

They may have to be encouraged to do so by organisations like the Castlebar and Westport Chamber of Commerce, who shouldn't be shy in making approaches to see if it is a possibility to again utilise the facilities that are available at MacHale Park.

It will be back to normality though next weekend as Mayo get their championship season underway with a game against Sligo next Sunday afternoon.

The likelihood is there will only be in the region of 10,000 fans in MacHale Park next Sunday and after seeing such a crowd at the rugby last weekend, there is also a huge challenge facing the GAA in terms of branding and making the most out of their own game.

But that's for another day and for the time being, everyone involved in the GAA and Connacht Rugby are to be congratulated for making last Saturday happen. It truly was an occasion to savour.