Iveagh Grounds set to be sold to Trinity College
By Mary Dennehy
MEMBERS of Guinness Athletic Union (GAU) pitch and putt club feel “let down” by their executive committee who have agreed to proceed with the sale of the historic Iveagh Grounds on the Crumlin Road to Trinity College.
In June, The Echo reported that the Crumlin grounds were in the process of being purchased from Diageo, by Trinity’s Department of Sport and Recreation for a new sports campus.
The grounds were bought by the Earl of Iveagh and formerly owned by Guinness prior to Diageo taking over in the 90s.
The Guinness Athletic Union was established for employees in 1928 and has approximately 1,500 members in a wide range of sports.
However, the GAU is close to €2.5 million in debt and Diageo has subsidised club accounts – paying out approximately €200k-€300k annually over the last 10 years.
Diageo has put together a financial package to guarantee continued use of the grounds by GAU for two years, after which the club will have to be self-sustaining.
A letter written to The Echo by the GAU Pitch and Putt section, outlines their “disappointment” over a letter sent to GAU members by the executive committee on August 15.
The committee letter informs members, that they were advised the sale will go ahead “with or without GAU approval”.
It also states that a proposal to sell a part of the grounds to a developer to fund the club would not be approved by city planners as the grounds are not zoned for that purpose.
The pitch and putt club says there was a unanimous decision at the last AGM by members to oppose the transfer, and they feel “let down” by a “total reversal of this vote.”
They intend to write to GAU Chairman Eddie Tyrrell to express “dismay at their handling of this whole affair.”
The committee letter states that discussions with Diageo provide the GAU with the “opportunity to secure the long-term future of the club in the grounds.”
The committee will continue to administer the bar and function room, and they will also be the governing body for sections within the club.
Diageo have agreed to provide subvention to the club until the sale is complete.
