Sheeran an aim as Wexford light their castle on the hill

The concern and negative vibes around pre-season GAA competitions will be a world removed from Chadwicks Wexford Park this weekend where a capacity crowd will be treated to fireworks off the pitch, and in all likelihood, something similar on it.

The almost farcical nature of the O'Byrne Cup this month gave rise to the annual debate around the structure of the GAA calendar, yet up to 14,000 people will flock to Wexford Town on Saturday night for a Walsh Cup encounter that is much more than that; it will be first game under floodlights at the venue.

Planning for a project that is reported to have come in at under €900,000 was approved in 2021 and as of last Friday, the ground is commissioned for night-time action.

The installation of floodlights in Chadwicks Wexford Park is underway and yesterday, County Chairman, Micheál Martin, brought us up to speed on the project pic.twitter.com/QLp8A7D964

The long-term plan is to tap into the potentially lucrative concert market, a logical move even before you consider Ed Sheeran’s strong links to the county.

The singer, whose grandmother Nancy Mulligan hails from Gorey, took to the stage in Croke Park wearing a purple and gold jersey in 2015 and last year expressed a desire to sponsor Wexford GAA.

The Examiner reported the Cork County Board benefitted to the tune of over €1 million from Sheeran's three Páirc Uí Chaoimh concerts in 2018 – and while Wexford GAA chairperson Micheal Martin has held initial talks with Aiken Promotions, there are a number of hoops that must be jumped through before that can ever come to pass.

For now, the primary focus is night-time games and Saturday is expected to see a capacity crowd of around 14,000 take in a round three Walsh Cup encounter with Kilkenny.

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