39. Orla Chennaoui & Croke Park

This week's guest is the sports broadcaster Orla Chennaoui and Orla has nominated Croke Park, Dublin, home to Gaelic Athletic Association as her ground jewel. Croke Park is the largest non-soccer stadium in Europe and has special cultural and political significance in Ireland as it was the site of a massacre in 1920 during the Anglo-Irish War. Orla is a Derry Girl, growing up in Northern Ireland during that tumultous political time. Croke Park speaks to her love of sport and also to her identity (and it didn't hurt that Derry won the GAA All-Ireland Football Championship for the first time at Croker when she was in her teens). Now an accomplished broadcaster, the national stadium still holds a special place in her heart and this is a tremendous episode of The Ground Jewels. *** Hosted by sports author James Dixon ('The Fix' & 'World in Union') the Ground Jewels podcast is dedicated to celebrating the deep connections individuals have with their favorite sports grounds. *** Artwork by Luke Williamson - https://www.lukewilliamsonart.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices