A5 road and Casement Park get share of €800m in Dublin funding

The Irish Government has announced new funding worth €800m (£685m) for cross-border projects.

The Cabinet in Dublin has approved plans including €600 million to upgrade the A5.

It has also earmarked €50 million for the redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “The commitments we have made today are about the potential of cross-border communities.”

The news was widely welcomed by NI’s main political parties, but DUP leader Sir Geoffrey Donaldson said the UK Government should “make its position clear” on funding Casement Park.

He said: “It is right that the GAA receives an allocation from the Northern Ireland Executive in line with the previously agreed allocations to the three support groups.”

“However, we do not know how significantly additional resources for UK taxpayers will be made available at a time when other essential public services require the allocation of additional resources and capital.”

Earlier, DUP MP Jim Shannon said he believed the amount would be £220m.

The redeveloped stadium was the home of Antrim GAA until its closure in 2013 and is primarily used for GAA matches. However, soccer matches are also scheduled to be held during the Euro 2028 tournament.

At that time, he said, the government would determine “what the possibilities are.”

“I’m sure there will be a proportionate taxpayer contribution, but I want it to be fully understood that it has to be done on the basis of value for money,” he said.

Asked whether the UK government’s lack of clarity on funding for Casement Park was a sign of a rift in the relationship, Mr Varadkar said both governments were fully committed to the project. .

“The governments in Dublin and London have been working together on the euro,” he told BBC Newsline.

“It is disappointing that the match will not be played in Northern Ireland. Both governments are fully committed.”

He announced the funding at a press conference in Dublin on Tuesday, alongside his government partners Michael Martin, the Tánaiste (deputy prime minister), and Green Party leader Eamonn Ryan.

He said this meant: “Whatever the constitutional future of Ireland and Northern Ireland as a whole, investing in people, infrastructure, quality of life and opportunities for generations to come is essential to our shared future. It’s about understanding that we are part of a common future.” It’s a good thing that we can all achieve by working together. ”

He denied that the announcement, which is part of the Shared Islands project, would alarm trade unionists.

“It has been widely welcomed,” he told the BBC. “I think that’s encouraging. We want it to be a project that all communities can participate in.

“The people of Northern Ireland just want to get on. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a constitutional issue. There are simple things that can make people’s lives better.”

Referring to the A5 upgrade, Mr Varadkar said the 600 million euros would “bring north-south connectivity in line with the rest of the island”.

Once completed, the renovation will be the largest road ever built in Northern Ireland, with an estimated cost of around £1.6 billion.

Despite being first announced nearly 16 years ago, the project has yet to get off the ground and has suffered repeated delays.

Tuesday’s announcement also includes funding being allocated for projects such as the Narrow Water Bridge linking Counties Down and Louth.

There are also plans to introduce an hourly rail service between Belfast and Dublin.

Mr Martin said the funding was a “special and important moment”.

“Iconic and strategically important projects that have been talked about for decades are either given the green light to start construction, as was the case with the A5 upgrade, or are given significant funding to move forward with the support of partners. ,” he added.

He said he was “particularly pleased” that the Narrow Water Bridge project had been given the green light.

He added that the funding for Casement Park was a “major investment in the social fabric of parts of Belfast that have suffered from disadvantage for many years”.

Ireland’s Transport Minister Ryan said the funding was “timely and important” and would deepen connectivity on the island of Ireland.

Ulster GAA described the funding allocation to Casement Park as a “very significant and significant contribution”.

Tom Daley, chairman of the Ulster GAA Stadium Board, said the stadium “will leave a legacy not just for the Gaels of Antrim and Ulster but for society as a whole”.

Sinn Féin’s MP for West Belfast, Paul Muskie, said it was another “positive step” towards building “first-class, state-of-the-art” sports facilities.

The SDLP said Ireland’s financial commitment would “help bring additional charges to some projects that have been talked about for years”.

Party leader Colum Eastwood has called on Stormont council leaders to make public their commitment to major projects.

DUP leader Sir Geoffrey Donaldson welcomed the cash announcement but said Britain must deliver on its commitments.

He added: “It is not the job or responsibility of the Government of the Republic to provide financial support for the provision of public services and Northern Ireland’s infrastructure in general. It is a UK problem.”

Niall McKenna of Enough Is Enough, the campaign group set up after John Lafferty’s death in 2020, said he was “confident” new road improvements would be delivered before funding for the A5 was confirmed. “I have it,” he said.

“So many people are affected by death on this path. [A5] “This road is quite literally killing our members and we have a duty of care to see to the end of it,” he said.

Mr McKenna said there had been a “huge change” in attitude.

“The public is not ready to accept non-delivery.” [A5] No more,” he added.

Hamilton Hazzard, who has been farming in Omagh for more than 30 years, is opposed to the A5 road plan.

“We’ll probably lose 13% of my farm’s area. That’s not the whole reason I’m against it. The existing roads should have been improved years ago, and we has always advocated for its improvement.

“We are certainly opposed to the proposed plans, but we are not opposed to road improvements. In fact, we are in favor of road improvements,” he added.

Hazard said roads can be improved without losing land.

Adrian O’Hare from the Narrow Water Bridge Community Network welcomed the funding for the project, describing it as “one of the longest running community-led projects in Ireland”.

“There’s certainly a huge sense of relief in finally moving from the groundhog day of the bidding process to a situation where we think we’re pretty close to closing the deal,” he said.

“There was a time when I almost lost faith in it, thinking it was a figment of our imagination.”

The bridge will connect County Down and County Louth.

“The economic impact on this region of crossing this water is absolutely limitless,” O’Hare said.

The Shared Islands Project was set up by Mr Martin in 2020 when he was Prime Minister in the Coalition Government.

Both the Government Program and the Revised National Development Plan (2021-2030) announced by the Irish Government include significant investment across the island.

Total investment across the island will exceed €3.5bn (£3bn) by 2030, with €800m worth of new funding set to go into cross-border projects announced on Tuesday.

Funding will be provided through the government’s Shared Islands Fund. Project Ireland 2040 Fund. Resources for North-South cooperation. and the PEACEPLUS programme, delivered in partnership with the European Union, the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.