MSG In Dublin?

Dubbed "The World's Most Famous Arena", there aren't many shows nor events that pass up the opportunity to work in Madison Square Garden. Located in Manhatten, "the Garden" is officially the second-busiest music arena in the world in terms of ticket sales, the oldest arena to host an NBA team, and the oldest arena to host an NHL team. There have been three other Madison Square Garden that have been demolished since the original opened in 1879, but the current building standing between Seventh and Eighth avenues in New York City is the one that has garnered the most attention as the arena that hosts around 320 events a year including sports, concerts, and other major events!

I'm not here to talk about New York's arena, however, because Dermot Rigley, founder and CEO of Prime Arena Holdings, made a bold proclamation today with the announcement of a new two-rink facility being proposed for the neighbourhood of Cherrywood inside Dublin, Ireland! According to his statement today, "Rigley has described the proposed project as one that will bring the Madison Square Garden experience" to Ireland's largest and most populous city!

I'm not here to take the wind out of Rigley's sails by any means, but Prime Arena Holdings stepped forward as the company behind this ambitious project, showing off initial renderings that included CGI images and flythrough videos by Populous, the same architects behind the Sphere in Las Vegas, Yankee Stadium in New York, and the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. It should be noted that Prime Arena Holdings has NOT formally submitted a planning application for this project yet.

The details state that the building will have two Olympic-sized ice rinks and an 8000-capacity arena, expandable to 10,500 for major events and concerts. It's hoped that this new facility will be ready to open by 2029 or 2030, but Brendan O'Brien of the Irish Examiner notes in his article, "The Olympic Federation of Ireland has backed a project which will serve as a hub for its winter sports programme and one where an ice hockey team akin to the Belfast Giants at the O2 will serve as anchor tenants and play in the British league."

Might we see an EIHL team in the heart of Dublin, Ireland?

"The design for Prime Arena will bring the ice hockey spectators close to the action and create an incredible atmosphere and fan experience," Marian Moravek, design lead at Populous, described to O'Brien, "while the warm, layered facade and public plaza will give the arena a distinct identity as a focus for Cherrywood."

As you know, this blog is against public funding of arenas that will be used by billionaires, but we know that EIHL teams are setup somewhat differently. Initial estimates for this new "Madison Square Dublin" were around €190 million ($222 million USD), but final totals could fetch upwards of €250 million ($292 million USD). Reports suggest that "several US and Canadian ice hockey stars, including former Stanley Cup winners, recently emerged as investors in the project," but it seems some public monies will go into the project.

Estimates see the new arena attracting "over 1.5 million visitors annually", and, as reported by Eoin Burke-Kennedy in The Irish Times, "Mary Rose Burke, Dublin Chamber of Commerce chief executive, said the project would 'deliver a significant and lasting boost to Dublin's economy, supporting businesses across hospitality, tourism, retail and local services' while Tourism Ireland chief Alice Mansergh said it 'would offer opportunities to attract visitors from overseas'."

Allow me to "wet blanket" this growing excitement for the arena by suggesting that Prime Arena Holdings should get its application submitted ASAP and start lining up investors for that 2029 opening date. Even if they open in 2030, a Dublin EIHL team will also need some time to get off the ground. And assuming this mixed-use complex works for everyone where public skating can happen while an EIHL team practices, perhaps we'll see Irish-born and Irish-trained hockey players find their way into leagues across the globe one day!

We're a long way from those moments, and I'll be the first to say that building a €250-million arena is the last thing an emerging hockey country should do, but Dublin, Ireland seems to have its heart set on welcoming its first EIHL team in the city's history to inspire more young Irishmen and Irishwomen to hit the ice! Maybe it will happen with a little of that Irish luck, but "an lao ite i mbolg na bó"!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!