GAA headquarters says the museum has continued to grow in popularity each year since it was opened in July 1998, with more than 50,000 people visiting it last year.

And the museum's manager, Joanne Clarke, said visitor numbers had already increased by 18% so far in 2006.

"About 60% are from educational tours in the peak season between May and June when children go on their school tours, " said Clarke, "but we also get a lot of families visiting on match days and French, Italian and Spanish students from language schools visiting the museum.

Recently we have noticed that more and more senior citizens and active retirement groups are visiting."

For the second year running, the museum has been used to film RTE's popular GAA television programme, Park Live, and Clarke believes this has helped to further raise the venue's profile.

Journalist and GAA historian Eoghan Corry, who was involved in designing the museum, said, "I would expect that the profile of the museum would be raised when rugby and football come to Croke Park next year, as anyone who has an interest in international sport will be wowed by Irish sporting history.

"The Bloody Sunday story is one of the most dramatic sporting stories to be told anywhere."