Cork’s GAA stadium is to be renamed SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The decision will be finalised at a special meeting of delegates to the Cork County Board on Thursday.

The current name, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, comes from a former GAA Director General and revolutionary Pádraig Ó Caoimh.

Earlier this month, Cork GAA announced the name would be changed to SuperValu Páirc after a €1 million sponsorship agreement with the supermarket. 

1983 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Semi-Final Replay, Dublin v Cork, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork. Picture credit: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE

Cork GAA is heavily in debt but the announcement was hugely upsetting to the Ó Caoimh family. 

“It’s galling to me that SuperValu is considering making the eradication of my grandfather’s legacy a condition of sponsorship,” Dónal Ó Caoimh told Lunchtime Live. 

“My grandfather's story inspires young players to dream but the gateway is now open for the sale of our heritage and narrative for profit.

“If you take away the absence of focus on money and corporations from games, you’ve lost what makes the GAA unique.”

Compromise on Páirc Uí Chaoimh name

Cork Senator Tim Lombard told Newstalk Breakfast he was happy with the shortage. 

“It’s always going to be Páirc Uí Chaoimh to all of us, I think that’s going to be very obvious,” he said. 

“But there’s a bigger issue here; this deal’s worth over €1 million, the debt here is over €30 million. 

“The viability of the stadium needs to be looked at; how are we going to make sure we’re going to pay down that huge debt?

“We’re having concerts and everything else but we need to make sure there’s a strategic plan put in place to make sure the viability of Páirc Uí Chaoimh is in place for the next decade.”

Main image: Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Image: aphperspective / Alamy Stock Photo