Several leading business and sporting groups have thrown their weight behind plans for a new winter sports arena in south Dublin.
Prime Arena Holdings is planning to develop a 6,000-seat indoor arena with an Olympic-sized ice rink on an eight-acre site in Cherrywood.
The proposed €190 million development, which also aims to house the State’s first ice hockey franchise, has received the backing of employers’ group Ibec; the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation; and the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland.
On the sporting side, the Olympic Federation of Ireland, the UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League and Premier Sports have also rowed in behind the project.
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The venue aims to become the permanent home for Dublin’s first professional ice hockey franchise, which will compete in the UK league alongside the Belfast Giants.
“These endorsements reflect not only confidence in the Prime Arena project, but also confidence in what this development can deliver for Ireland’s future,” Prime Arena Holdings chief executive Dermot Rigley said.
Other supporters of the plan include Odyssey Trust, Belfast Giants,Deloitte, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Chamber, Sandyford Business District,Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce Toronto and Ireland Canada Business Association.
The proposed scheme, adjacent to junction 16 of the M50 motorway, aims to serve as a national hub for winter sports and as a concert and corporate events venue.
It aims to attract 1.3 million visitors a year, including more than 67,000 foreign visitors.
“Prime Arena will be a transformative national asset, driving significant economic growth, creating thousands of jobs, and enabling Ireland to finally compete on the global stage for major events,” Mr Rigley said.
Last year Prime Arena Holdings announced an agreement to purchase the site from US real-estate group Hines, which is already developing 1,300 apartments within the Cherrywood strategic development zone.
Planning documentation for the development, which has the backing of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, is scheduled to be submitted in the first half of 2026.
The list of investors backing the project includes: music promoter and MCD founder Denis Desmond; Setanta and Premier Sports founder Mickey O’Rourke; Mr Rigley, a former commercial head of sport at RTÉ; and tech investor and Hostelworld co-founder Tom Kennedy.
The founders of public affairs firm Hume Brophy, John Hume and Eoin Brophy, who recently sold their business to international PR firm Penta, and financier Helen Work are also part of the team.
