Ball games to wrecking ball: Some of Ireland's most iconic sporting venues lost their final showdown with the bulldozer. Here are ten grounds where only sporting ghosts walk: GER SIGGINS

There's something about a great sporting arena that stirs the soul. I’ve been lucky enough to visit some special ones, and I always close my eyes and try to imagine the sights and sounds of the great days there. Wembley and Lord’s brought up the great names of those sports as they walked onto the turf ready to make history. Croke Park brought real history closer to home, while even in its redeveloped banality Lansdowne Road never fails to spark memories of heroic deeds. Those stadia are well cared for still, the events they witnessed still venerated and conserved.