Hill 16, one of the great icons of Croke Park, may be saved after all, following a decision by Dublin City Council to grant planning permission to the GAA to replace it with an even bigger and better hill.
The city council's decision, which was issued yesterday, would retain Hill 16 as a standing terraced area for up to 13,000 fans - in defiance of the trend internationally towards all-seater stadiums.
The council's planners accepted the GAA's argument that the open-air stand, which was built on rubble from O'Connell Street after the 1916 Rising, was "a great Dublin institution" that deserved to be retained.
Mr Des McMahon, of Gilroy McMahon Architects, who designed the new Croke Park, warmly welcomed the decision, saying it recognised the need to provide "low-cost accommodation" at the GAA's premier venue.
He explained that the new Hill 16 would be extended to incorporate the Nally Stand - last remaining relic of the old Croke Park - and that it would have a full range of amenities to enable fans to enjoy matches to the full.
The old hill, which has the most rudimentary facilities, as well as the Nally Stand, would be demolished in their entirety and replaced by a new, more steeply-raked hill with toilet, bar and catering facilities underneath.
Mr McMahon said the design of the new Hill 16, which is estimated to cost around €20 million, would integrate it more effectively into the stadium as a whole. It would also be surmounted by a new digital scoreboard.
Three years ago, An Bord Pleanála refused planning permission on appeal for an earlier plan to retain the standing terraces on the hill, saying it was "not satisfied" that this would "not endanger" public health safety.
The board cited "the trend internationally, since the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, towards the provision of all-seater stadia" and the Department of Education's 1996 Code of Practice for Safety at Sports Grounds.
The GAA was "extremely disappointed" by the decision and rejected any analogy with Hillsborough, saying "the Hill" - as it has been known to generations of Dublin GAA supporters - would stand up to any safety examination.
The latest plan, which may also be appealed to An Bord Pleanála, would increase the capacity of Croke Park to 86,500.
