Lansdowne was 'the right decision'

The Tánaiste, Ms Harney, said yesterday she was pleased that the Cabinet had chosen Lansdowne Road over Abbotstown as the site for the national stadium.

"I'm pleased with the decision. I think it's the right decision for sport. And, in terms of the infrastructure, that's there in Lansdowne Road. We have the DART. It's close to the city centre. When the match has been sold in Dublin internationally, it's the city that's sold, the culture, the experience, the hotels."

When asked if the decision was a victory for the Progressive Democrats, Ms Harney replied: "I don't see it like that. I think it's a good thing for sport. Everybody at Cabinet was conscious of the resource implications of whatever decision we made. And I think that from the resource point of view we made the best one at the moment."

Asked about Mr Michael McDowell's comparing the Abbotstown plan with "a Ceausescu-era Olympic project", Ms Harney laughed and replied: "I didn't do that. Somebody else did. But I'm not commenting on that."