The Cathaoirleach of Ratoath MD, Cllr. Brian Fitzgerald was joined by Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne T.D., Minister for Justice and Equality Helen McEntee T.D., Meath County Council Chief Executive Kieran Kehoe, and Chairperson of St. Peter’s GAA Dunboyne Gillian Reilly to officially open Kepak Park -St. Peter’s Academy Centre, Dunboyne on Friday, May 31st. 

The development provides sports playing fields, changing facilities, and a car park with 98 parking spaces, including disabled parking bays. The playing fields consist of three junior playing fields and a full-size adult pitch. A building adjacent to the car park will include changing facilities, a meeting room, an office, and a storage area.

The overall project cost of €4 million has seen the development of Linear Walkway, which opened in June 2023, and the completion of Kepak Park- Academy Centre at St. Peter’s GAA Dunboyne.

Over half of the funding for the €4 million project was received from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media; with a total of €2,332,646 awarded to the project under the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund. Meath County Council and St. Peter’s GAA also provided funding for the project.

Speaking at the official opening of the Playing Fields, Minister Thomas Byrne said, ‘As Sport Minister, I am delighted that my Department was in a position to provide over half of the funding needed for the development of the linear walkway and Pitches in Dunboyne. It is really welcome to see these fantastic sporting facilities made available to the local community in Dunboyne and surrounding areas. I want to recognise and thank Meath County Council and the members of St Peter’s GAA for their hard work and dedication in developing these wonderful facilities for the enjoyment of Dunboyne residents and surrounding areas.’

Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Brian Fitzgerald added, ‘These three juvenile sports playing fields will be used by the junior GAA players and will also be available to the school children during the school term for school blitzes and other sporting activities.  It is fair to say today that this facility is one of the largest, dedicated youth GAA facilities in the county.  I want to thank all parties involved in bringing this project to fruition, including Meath County Council, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and St. Peter’s GAA.  This has taken time and effort, but it is a great development for Dunboyne and the wider community.’

Chairperson of St. Peter’s GAA Club Gillian Reilly said, ‘Kepak Park-  St Peters Academy Centre will provide a centre of excellence for the development of our games in a safe, enjoyable, and state-of-the-art environment for our children. It will enhance our partnership with our local schools as we make the Academy Centre available to them during the day. The importance of this development cannot be overstated.  It is an investment in our future and a commitment to creating a legacy that will benefit generations to come. I want to thank the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and Meath County Council, for their incredible commitment to completing this project and to our sponsors Kepak who share our vision for the venue and proudly continue their long standing support for Gaelic Games in Meath. Finally, I want to acknowledge the incredible support of our members and the local community in realising the ambition we had for this project.’

Concluding Meath County Council Chief Executive Kieran Kehoe added, ‘It is a pleasure to mark the official opening of the Academy Centre at St. Peter’s GAA Dunboyne. On days like these, we get a real sense of the work and commitment needed between Meath County Council, Government Departments, and key stakeholder groups like St. Peters GAA to deliver the necessary essential infrastructure that will significantly improve and support the health and well-being of the people of Dunboyne and its surrounds.’