"The Union has always outlined the importance of the project for the future well being of the whole of Irish rugby. From the outset, the re-development programme has been the cornerstone of our Strategic Plan for the development of the game at all levels.

"Lansdowne Road has been world renowned as the home of Irish Rugby for 130 years and this proudly will continue to be the case.

"The IRFU expresses its thanks to the Government for its generous funding of €191 million and particularly to John O'Donoghue TD., the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, who has been especially to the fore in his proactive support of the project," he added.

"We believe that the go-ahead for the re-development of a state of the art stadium is a fitting testimony to the game of rugby in Ireland and that it will also be a tremendous boost for Dublin city in terms of potential revenues emanating from the staging of major rugby and soccer events. In this regard we look forward to working with our FAI partners."

For details on the new stadium and the background to the development please visit the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company website.