Clare's deliberations on the future of Cusack Park in Ennis are nearly at a conclusion. A decision on whether to pursue proposals for the sale of the ground to developers is expected before the end of the year.

Commenting on local media reports that the area in which the ground is located had not been re-zoned, county PRO Des Crowe said the matter hadn't been brought before the local authority yet.

"It's important to remember that there's been no application made yet on planning permission or re-zoning. That will only become relevant if and when the county board decide to give the proposal a go-ahead."

Cusack Park has attracted the interest of developers, who are proposing to provide Clare with a bigger, better-equipped venue in return, as well as cash for the valuable site in the centre of Ennis, a location that has caused traffic problems on the days of big Saturday matches as there is a supermarket across the road.

"The ground is right in the middle of town," says Crowe, "and causes massive difficulty when there are matches being played.

"Even this Saturday when we've county championship quarter-finals - maximum attendance 5,000 - there's likely to be mayhem."

It's a year now since the county board established a committee to consider both the overall issue of moving out of Cusack Park and the desirability of individual developers' proposals.

Although the recommendations of the committee were expected at the start of the year, Crowe says the various controversies within the county during the year have distracted the county board's attention from the question of the development.

"There have been a lot of sideshows and most of our year went on those. It's been absolutely crazy between one thing and another - something different every week between Semplegate and everything else - and it's only since Tuesday that normality returned.

"The committee have kept working away all the time but they've had a huge pile of documentation to get through. There were 10 or 12 submissions from various developers.

"Their work is nearly done and will definitely be presented before the county convention. After hearing the report the county board will decide whether or not to give the go-ahead and will probably be given a couple of weeks to go back to the clubs and discuss it."

As well as the need for planning permission any proposal to proceed with the sale would also need the approval of Croke Park's National Infrastructure and Safety Committee whose chair Dan McCartan is on the record as saying that that his committee's sanction is not automatically dispensed.

"There is the issue," he said when questioned on the subject when the proposal was first floated, "of locations giving the association a presence in towns and centres of population where there is a tradition attached."