The name of Croke Park, Dublin is familiar to all fans of Gaelic football
and hurling and, for that matter, to all who follow rugby and soccer as the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has recently allowed games to proceed while Lansdowne Road is being rebuilt.
To meet such requirements the GAA decided to floodlight the stadium and they selected Thorn Mundial projectors to do it. Around 460 floods are used with 2kW metal halide lamps. The two primary concerns of floodlight selection were accurate beam control and switching to cover four sports, TV requirements and concert events. The aiming pattern uses a full combination of Mundial optics, from symmetric distributions for long throws to wider asymmetric versions covering side lighting.
The Mundial floodlights use unjacketed metal halide lamps. The cylindrical
quartz arc tube, typically with connections at each end, is fitted directly
into the floodlight which also serves as the outer jacket of the lamp. As
the lamps are slim and double ended they can be accurately positioned within the luminaire ensuring precise optical control and low weight. The reflector system includes a baffle fitted in front and above the lamp. This serves primarily as a glare control device, but also redirects some of the flux into the beam below the peak, improving the utilance of the lighting system and ensuring equal lighting performance over the playing area.
The lighting specification called for great flexibility. Six switching levels were required for the sports, ranging from 1850 lux horizontal maintained illuminance for televised Gaelic games to 600 lux for standard soccer. Three additional switching arrangements for concert settings were also needed. The owner's reaction to the scheme has been very favourable and
the ability is there to upgrade to meet HD-TV demands. Specification was by Shane Santry & Associates and J.V. Tierney & Co. Installation by Crowe
Engineering.