Barca came to Bekan to check out Connacht Air Dome

Barca’s fact-finding mission to Connacht’s centre of excellence in Bekan, near Knock in Co Mayo, came in response to the climate crisis that has become an increasing headache for sports administrators globally, and not just in infamously inclement Ireland.

“Climate change is changing the whole world,” said Connacht GAA chief executive John Prenty.

“Barcelona came here to see what we’d done – this time last year. Wherever they train they get washed out on a regular basis. It is not just an Irish phenomenon.”

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Connacht’s flagship indoor arena – reputedly the largest sports air dome in the world – was first inflated in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic.

With the ability to host matches in all types of weather, it is now the January home to Connacht’s pre-season FBD League competition. Between seating and standing, there is scope for a match-day crowd of over 2,000 patrons.

The venue had been built for a ballpark figure of between €3.1m and €3.5m but, according to Prenty, it would now cost between €8-9m.

“We had a hole to put it into. We had a car park there that put it down eight or nine metres below ground level. That is important because of the weather we had,” he outlined.

​“The day before St Patrick’s Day 2020, every single nut and bolt of that dome, and a bit of canvas and Astroturf material, was on the ground out there ... the cost now would be probably two-and-a-half times that because of Brexit, because of the war in Ukraine.

“All that kind of material has gone through the roof. We came first and if they want to follow us ...

“Since the day we opened on a full-time basis, when Covid let people into it, we’ve been full,” the long-serving official added.

“Ninety per cent of our schoolkids have played there. (They come) Friday night, Saturday, Sunday, from all around the country. Last Saturday, Ederney from Fermanagh came here and ran a blitz and they had teams from Armagh, Tyrone, Donegal and Fermanagh – 188 kids played.

“And when they left, Pettigo from Donegal came in and played Kilmovee in a challenge, and when they were gone somebody else came.”