Latest news with #CasementPark
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Young voices, big stories: Primary school podcast spotlights Jarlath Burns
Gareth Burns, President of the GAA, speaking with pupils at St. Ninnidh's PS, Derrylin. (Image: John McVitty) While major media outlets across Northern Ireland were eager to secure an interview with GAA President Jarlath Burns about the £50million redevelopment of Casement Park, he chose instead to give a very important interview to an up-and-coming podcast based in Derrylin. The St. Ninnidh's PS P7 class, assisted by their teacher, Cassie Cadden, has set up a podcast known as 'Derrylin Diaries' on Facebook and TikTok, which has amassed thousands of views online. Advertisement Miss Cadden spoke to The Impartial Reporter about how the podcast was created and the exciting opportunity it presented for the students of St. Ninnidh's PS to interview Mr. Burns on Wednesday, June 11. 'I don't think we ever anticipated it [the podcast] getting this big, but it is the power of persuasive writing and letters," Miss Cadden explained. She encourages project-based learning in her P7 classes, providing pupils with essential life skills and engaging opportunities to apply what they've learned, all while following the annual curriculum and balancing preparation for the secondary school transfer test. 'I try to do fun, project-based activities with the children, and I wanted to do something that is relevant to right now," she explained. Advertisement In previous years, Miss Cadden introduced a Junior Entrepreneur Programme, where pupils created a business and developed a product to go along with it. 'We started the Podcast Club [Derrylin Diaries], so children who were interested in podcasting or interviewing could come to it; generally, all my Primary Seven class came." Through deliberation and voting, the pupils decided on 17 guests they wanted to interview on their podcast, and then wrote letters to each of their selected guests. 'The best thing about the podcast is the opportunities they [the pupils] are getting for their literacy, because they are writing, editing, redrafting and chatting among each other about their writing. Advertisement 'The most important thing is they are growing their confidence," Miss Cadden added. 'We taught them persuasive techniques to try and encourage these people to come to our podcast. "We didn't think we would get any replies," she said, but added that she and the pupils were delighted by the positive response they received. Over the past few weeks, the pupils have received letters from many of their chosen recipients. Miss Cadden said: 'We got a reply from the First Minister, who said she would do it." Unfortunately, First Minister Michelle O'Neill was unable to attend the podcast due to several scheduling conflicts; however, she has been booked for September. Advertisement The first guest the pupils interviewed was Malachy O'Rourke, the current Senior football manager for Tyrone GAA, and a former pupil of St. Ninnidh's PS. Their second guest was Jarlath Burns, whose involvement Miss Cadden described as "unbelievable", adding: "It was like a rockstar arriving at school!" The podcast has been very well received. Miss Cadden revealed: "It's been going viral on Facebook and TikTok. "We have thousands of views, and people are tuning in and asking us when our next podcast episode is out. 'We are hoping to make it a regular thing. It's brewing excitement throughout the whole school," she added. Advertisement The next featured guests on the Derrylin Diaries podcast will be Roisin Gleeson, a Fermanagh ladies' player, and Gareth Maguire, of 'The Tumbling Paddies'. If you are interested in watching the next episode, see the St. Ninnidh's PS Facebook page at
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Abandoned 34,500-seater football stadium that had been tipped to host Euro 2028 matches in new boost after £50m funding
AN ABANDONED 34,500-seater football stadium that had been tipped to host Euro 2028 matches has received a new boost after landing £50million in funding. Belfast's Casement Park was initially selected as a host stadium for the upcoming tournament. 4 4 It saw Northern Ireland join England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland as a host nation. Plans were afoot to rebuild the ground to a 34,000 capacity in time for the competition. But Northern Ireland was axed as one of the host nations due to funding issues over Casement Park. The national team currently plays at Windsor Park, which holds 18,000 fans. However, Uefa requires all grounds for major tournaments to hold at least 30,000 spectators. And failure to find the funding for Casement Park ended Northern Ireland's hopes of hosting Euro 2028 games. But now, the overgrown arena has been given a major boost after receiving £50m towards a £260m rebuild. That money has come from the government, according to the BBC. And it has finally been confirmed that the funds will not have to be repaid, with the £50m being provided as an 'equity stake' and not a loan. Despite the cash boost, the redevelopment of Casement Park is still not fully financed. Jarlath Burns warns 'time is money' over Casement Park stadium project 4 4 £260m is required for a full rebuild, but the Gaelic Athletic Association can only find £120m on top of the government's £50m – leaving a £90m shortfall in total. Casement Park used to be a top stadium for hurling and Gaelic football matches. Tens of thousands of fans used to cram in for matches. But the venue shut down in 2013 and has since been left abandoned. Now, the derelict site has received planning permission to be modernised and early demolition work has begun.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Casement Park: Government says funding will not have to be repaid
The government has confirmed that the £50m funding it pledged for the development of Casement Park in Belfast will not have to be followed questions raised in the Assembly by the DUP after it emerged the funding was allocated under a mechanism which allows for the money to be process is known as Financial Transactions Capital and when questioned in the chamber today Finance Minister John O'Dowd said the details were still being worked also raised the prospect of money being in a statement a government spokesperson said it was providing the £50m as an "equity stake" rather than a loan. The money came as part of the chancellor's Spending Review, which allocates money to day-to-day public services for the next three the west Belfast stadium is estimated to cost about £260m - of which £120m is jointly in place from the Stormont Executive, the Irish government and the is still a shortfall of about £90m.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Abandoned 34,500-seater football stadium that had been tipped to host Euro 2028 matches lands £50m towards restoration
AN abandoned stadium that was set to host Euro 2028 matches has received a huge boost over its future. The major tournament was set to be hosted by the Republic of Ireland and the four home nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 3 3 3 Belfast's Casement Park was initially selected as among the stadiums to host games amid plans to rebuild the ground to a 34,000 capacity. But it has since been axed from Euro 2028 due to funding issues and Northern Ireland will no longer be a host nation. Despite that, redevelopment of Casement Park is still going ahead and the government have confirmed that they are making a £50million contribution to the project. But there is still a £90m shortfall as Stormont chiefs and the Gaelic Athletic Association can only find £120m of the £260m required. Northern Ireland's finance minister John O'Dowd welcomed the government's backing and encouraged everyone to "now work together" to get the stadium built. Casement Park shut down in 2013 and has since been left abandoned. Incredible photos show the stands rotting and the pitch overgrown. The ground welcomed 31,000 supporters back in its pomp for hurling and Gaelic football matches. The derelict site has received planning permission to be modernised and early demolition work has begun. But some have called for the proposed design to be axed to allow for a cheaper build to be made. Northern Ireland currently play their home games at the 18,500-seater Windsor Park. Uefa require all grounds for major tournaments to be able to hold 30,000 fans. The Irish FA have ruled out expanding Windsor Park.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GAA should 'change' Casement plans, says DUP minister
The minister in charge of sport in Northern Ireland has said plans for a new Casement Park stadium in west Belfast may have to be scaled back due to the funding shortfall. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said the £50m offered on Wednesday by the UK government still left a "significant gap". In a statement to BBC News NI, he put the onus on the GAA to find more money or "change their plans to fit the funding". The price-tag for the planned 34,500-capacity stadium is about £100m more than is currently available. The GAA president, Jarlath Burns, has welcomed the £50m offered by the government but revealed the cost of rebuilding the derelict stadium is now "well over £270m". Mr Burns told Irish state broadcaster RTÉ on Wednesday: "The cost goes up by about £140,000 every month if we don't do anything because of the rising cost of infrastructure and building. "Time literally is money here." The GAA president is looking to the Stormont executive to help plug the funding gap. He said: "The executive now have to meet, and it's between really the two government parties to decide how they are going to make up the deficit that still exists between Casement Park not being built - and Casement Park being built." The statement from Lyons put the focus on the GAA itself. He said: "Additional money coming to Northern Ireland for sport must be allocated on a fair and equitable basis, a principle first agreed as part of the 2011 executive agreement and one I remain firmly committed to in the interests of fairness to all. "It will be up to the GAA to consider what additional contribution they are prepared to make or how they will change their plans to fit the funding that is available. "I look forward to engaging with the representatives of the GAA, football and rugby." Casement Park is expected to be among the topics discussed when ministers from the UK government sit down with their counterparts from the Stormont Executive in Belfast later. Although the stadium is not officially on the agenda of the East-West Council, it is sure to be discussed. This is only the second meeting of the council, a body set up last year to improve links between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK after lobbying from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ahead of the restoration of devolution. The funding currently available for the Casement Park redevelopment includes £15m from the GAA, about £43m from the Irish government and £62.5m from Stormont. Given that the Stormont funding pledge is more than a decade old, there have been calls for inflation to be taken into account which would take the total close to £100m. Mr Burns has asked Stormont to consider an "inflationary uplift". The football authorities in Northern Ireland will be watching closely what happens next. The Irish Football Association has called for at least £50m to be given to the sport in line with the extra UK money pledged for the Casement Park redevelopment. Chief executive Patrick Nelson said that "parity" between major sports is required. The GAA want a modern Casement Park stadium capable of hosting Ulster finals, as well as being the home for Antrim county. Casement to get £50m from government in Spending Review
