Carlisle Grounds
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 | |
 Interactive map of Carlisle Grounds | |
| Public transit | Bray Daly railway station |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 3,200[1] |
| Field size | 113 x 70 yards |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1862 |
| Tenants | |
| Bray Wanderers A.F.C. Ireland national rugby league team (2015–present) | |
The Carlisle Grounds is a football stadium in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. Situated directly behind Bray DART station, it is home to Bray Wanderers A.F.C.
Opened in 1862 as the Bray Athletic Ground, the Carlisle Grounds claim to be the oldest sports venue in the League of Ireland.[2] The ground was renamed the Carlisle Cricket and Archery Ground later that year in honour of the 7th Earl of Carlisle who, in his role as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, performed the opening ceremony. By 1870, the name had been shortened to the Carlisle Grounds.[2] The Carlisle Grounds were designed by William Dargan, a leading railway engineer.[2]
In addition to cricket, association football and archery the ground hosted flower shows, croquet and firework displays. Between 1876 and 1880, the stadium also had an indoor roller-skating rink.[2] Outside the venue, on Seymour Road, hackney carriages were available for hire to tour the surrounding countryside.[2]
A new stand seating 985 was constructed in 2006 bringing the seating capacity of the ground up to about 2,000. The League of Ireland side Transport F.C. played at the Carlisle Grounds from 1948-1951 before moving to Harold's Cross Stadium. In July 2009 a section of the wall around the pitch collapsed after Shamrock Rovers fans rushed down to the wall to celebrate a goal.[3] The following year another section of the wall fell as a result of fans rushing forward, this time while hosting their league promotion playoff against Monaghan United, prompting an FAI investigation.[4] The Carlisle Grounds hosted a 2011 UEFA Regions' Cup match. The Carlisle Grounds also hosted two matches in the 2015 UEFA Regions' Cup.
Rugby league
Ireland played against Belgium in an international rugby league friendly on Sunday 12 July 2015 winning the match 34–0.[2][5] 7 November 2015 saw the Carlisle Grounds host the match between Ireland and Wales as part of the 2015 Rugby League European Championship.[6][1]
| International Rugby League Matches | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Home | Score | Opponent | Competition | Attendance |
| 12 July 2015 |  Ireland | 34–0 |  Belgium | Test match | [7] |
| 7 November 2015 | Ireland | 4–30 |  Wales | 2015 European Championship | 1,405[6] |
| 8 October 2016 | Ireland | 58–10 |  Malta | Test Match | [8] |
| 16 October 2016 | Ireland | 16–68 |  Jamaica | Test Match | [9] |
| 30 October 2016 | Ireland | 70–16 |  Russia | 2017 RLWC qualifying | 867[10] |
In popular culture
The Carlisle Grounds was used in the filming of the Bloody Sunday scene in the 1996 film, Michael Collins.[2] The ground was also used as a filming location for the music video of singer Dermot Kennedy's single "Outnumbered".[11]
Proposed redevelopment
In October 2009, details were released of a proposed largescale redevelopment of the ground.[12] If completed as planned, the proposal would have involved a new stadium being built on the site as well as a major retailer moving in. A model of the proposed redevelopment was displayed on the club's website around this time.[13][needs update]