Leaders on both sides of the border urge completion of Casement Park

Leaders on both sides of the border have urged all partners to “find a way” to complete Casement Park.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill said that it is now time for all those involved to sit around the table and find a way to start and complete the project.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the opportunity to build the stadium should “be seized”, while Tánaiste Simon Harris warned against looking back to see that the moment was “squandered”.

Earlier this month, a UK government pledge of £50 million (€58 million) for the development of the west Belfast GAA stadium was included in UK finance minister Rachel Reeves’ spending review.

However, that pledge still leaves the project far from its funding target under current plans.

Plans for a 34,000-capacity stadium at the site have been mired in uncertainty because of a major funding gap.

Stormont ministers committed £62.5 million to Casement in 2011, as part of a strategy to revamp it along with football’s Windsor Park and the rugby ground at Ravenhill.

While the two other Belfast-based projects went ahead, the redevelopment of Casement was delayed for several years because of legal challenges by local residents.

The estimated cost spiralled in the interim.

Speaking at a meeting of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in Armagh, Ms O’Neill said it is time for all partners to “find a way to complete” Casement Park.

Ms O’Neill said: “We all have a role in making sure we get to that point.”

Asked if the GAA should reconsider the plans for the west Belfast stadium development based on existing commitments for funding, Ms O’Neill said the stadium is now more expensive than if it had been built “a long time ago”.

She said the delays were due to a “whole plague of