FIFA-Arena pitch to be installed in the Liberties as works start this September

Dublin City Council is partnering with the FIFA Arena Programme to upgrade the pitch at Michael Mallin Park in the Liberties

Add to preferred sources News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 15:37, 01 Sep 2026 View Image The pitch at Michael Mallin Park in the Liberties

It’s a win for local youth in the Liberties as the pitch in Michael Mallin Park is undergoing improvements.

Dublin City Council has announced that they will be replacing the current tarmac surface with a new FIFA-grade all-weather pitch. Works are due to commence in mid-September and the pitch will be closed for a period of two to three weeks.

The works were welcomed by local Sinn Féin Councillor Ciaran Ó Meachair who described the investment as much needed. “The community definitely needed a pitch upgrade, not just there, but for other pitches in the area too,” he stated.

“I think the fact that this investment is being made now into an all-weather pitch kind of secures the future of Michael Malin Park and the pitch for the foreseeable future.” He welcomed the continued use of this public space as a recreational amenity, stating that far too much of the infrastructure in the Liberties is being swallowed up by hotels and projects catering to tourists.

Cllr Ó Meachair referenced artistic concepts from hotel developments near Michael Mallin Park which showed ambitions for “a public plaza or an ornate garden” at the site. While this may have been an ambition of hotel developers, ultimately, the land is owned by Dublin City Council and he commended them for prioritising amenities that support the area’s youth.

“It has been very well documented that young people in the Liberties and wider Dublin 8 area do not have proper access to recreational and sports facilities. This is one of the few pitches in the area that is accessible for them, so if it was ever to be removed I think it would have been a massive blow for the community,” he said.

The original announcement put forward by DCC mistakenly referenced the ‘Vicar Street Pitch,’ rather than Michael Mallin, which Cllr Ó Meachair said led to some local concern that the park may be renamed. The park’s namesake comes from the Irish republican and Liberties local who took an active role in the Easter Rising of 1916.

“People were worried it was a bit of an attempt to airbrush out Irish history and the legacy of Michael Malin who is from the Liberties and someone that people in the Liberties very much celebrate,” Cllr Ó Meachair said.

“The mural to Michael Malin is at the pitch there as well. Some people were worried it was going to be renamed and if it was renamed what is the future of the mural?”

Cllr Ó Meachair confirmed that the mural will remain as is and that there are no plans to rename Michael Mallin Park. The only questions remaining, according to Cllr Ó Meachair, are the specific details surrounding the size of the new pitch.

“Is it going to be smaller than what’s there now? We don’t know the answer to that now. That is something that I will be querying,” he stated.

“But in broad brushstrokes it is of benefit to the area, it’s an upgrade to the surface of the pitch and secures the future of the pitch.”

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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