Providing flights from Cork to Dublin to meet transport demands for the All-Ireland final is “just not practical,” according to the Green Party.

The suggestion was made by Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould yesterday, who said thousands of Cork fans have been let down by the lack of services available from Irish Rail and Bus Éireann to the match in Croke Park against Clare.

He has even written to the DAA asking if they would facilitate Ryanair or Aer Lingus putting on flights between the two cities for the occasion.

'Bad idea'

On Lunchtime Live today, Green Party Cllr Michael Pidgeon said it was a bad idea.

“I think Cork Airport has already said that capacity just isn't there,” he said.

“You're facing the same issue as with the trains; any airline worth their salt already has their planes in use.

“I just think it’s generally a bad idea to be encouraging domestic flights when there’s a great rail service and a great motorway.”

A Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS aircraft in Palma de Mallorca, Spain in August 2011. Picture by: Greg Bajor / Alamy Stock Photo

Cllr Pidgeon said the idea doesn’t make logistical sense.

“If you look at a six-carriage Irish Rail service, that takes about 400 people,” he said. “

"The biggest Ryanair flight that I know of from Cork carries probably a little under 200 people.

“The core thing to invest in and push for in the long run would have to be the day-to-day services, improving public transport, and that means buses and trains.”

Cork alternative

Cllr Pidgeon suggested an alternative for the weekend.

“Normally, for that sort of thing, you'd be looking more at private coaches,” he said.

“I know a lot of clubs around the country would be putting on coaches and buses, and I imagine it's a similar thing here.

“There are obviously capacity constraints in every sector, but if you go back to the original idea, it’s not true to say there’s a whole load of planes out there waiting for customers.

“The idea is just not practical.”

Some 82,000 fans will be taking to Croke Park for the Cork v Clare clash this weekend, with neither side having etched their name on the Liam McCarthy Cup in the last decade.

Main image: A view inside Croke Park in 2009. Image: Stadium Bank / Alamy