Mr. Liam O'Neill:

I will deal with a couple of points based on the notes I jotted down. I am glad Deputy Byrne has forgiven the Christian Brothers.

We are working in many countries and we welcome people coming in and joining our clubs. This ties up with the promotion of Gaeilge also. We have a talent competition called Scór. It was set up purely to promote Irish culture and heritage and some of our acts are based on these. We have solo song, recitation, a drama or léiriú and music competitions. However, we have changed the competitions somewhat. We felt that while we have a brief to promote our language and culture, we cannot continue to be a monocultural organisation in a multicultural society. Therefore, we have changed our rules significantly and now if people want to recite, sing or dramatise something, it can be something from the history, mythology or culture of Ireland or of the country of origin of the person participating.

We recognise that the competition has to be inclusive because if people from abroad come to our clubs, we have to accept their right to perform their activities. Our decision to open up this competition is a significant step. While not everyone agreed with it, it has now been accepted that we are trying to open up the GAA in every possible way.

As regards being inclusive on our teams, reference was made to Jason Sherlock. In 1949, when County Laois last qualified for a senior hurling final, the captain was a man called Paddy Ruschitzko, which is not a Laois name. Paddy had Polish origins and my county was very proud to have him as our captain. This has been going on for a long time. People from abroad who join our clubs are made welcome. The GAA is delighted to be an inclusive organisation.

Shannon Gaels in New York are entering our Scór competitions. The Glór na nGael competition to which Senator Ó Clochartaigh referred also has a best club award with a prize of €1,000. We are delighted that people are beginning to assert their language and culture through GAA clubs.

Deputy Neville asked whether the civic authorities abroad recognise the work being done by the GAA. This is a difficulty because most facilities on the Continent are owned by municipal or local authorities, which means recognition is required to use them. It is difficult to secure recognition in all 27 member states of the European Union and non-EU countries. We could liaise with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to ascertain whether we could address this issue together. Clubs also experience difficulties opening bank accounts abroad because different rules apply in different countries. The GAA's presence in such a large number of countries creates a challenge. It may be argued that we should be able to get around this, but good governance and transparency are also necessary, and it is best that we ensure that is the case. This is a difficulty which can be overcome.

I was pleased to hear Deputy Quinn's comment that we need someone in every city to connect with the GAA. ConnectIreland is the means by which we can achieve this. The GAA would not claim to be doing this alone. While we were reasonably successful when doing this work alone, the position changed when the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recognised what we were doing and decided to support us. This was a major boost to our collective confidence, as it demonstrated to the authorities abroad with which we were dealing that the Department was working side by side with us. This stamp of approval was a significant step.

Mr. Duffy referred to the funding of €2.9 million provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The GAA also provides €5.8 million in funding. In allocating this funding to the GAA, the Department recognised that we are doing good work and acting as a conduit through which good ideas could flow back and forward. We are most happy with this.

As to how we could all work together and plan for the next 20 years, we must get serious about working in partnership. Mr. Duffy indicated that this process has started. We must row in behind it and ensure everyone is made aware of what is happening. We also need to have achievable and measurable objectives. People will then see us working together. Irish people are great and can achieve great things on their own, but when we get together we can achieve a hell of a lot more. That is the key message I wish to send today. We are open for business and partnership, as is the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It is a matter of finding the means to develop a cohesive plan and work together. Given our reach - and I say this in all modesty - the GAA can be a force for good among the Irish community abroad and in the communities in which Irish emigrants live. We are fiercely proud of this.

The Féile competitions were mentioned and the need to bring people from abroad. While the games must be organised in a way that allows people to take part, we cannot subsidise everyone taking part in a game. We give a large subsidy to the continental youth games in North America. We had an international minor tournament which we dropped in the early 2000s and we are heavily subsidising the all-Britain competitions because we regard those as focused. We are also delighted to augment funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs for development officers abroad. Partnership is what matters in this regard because people on the ground are much better placed than we are. It is preferable to have people who will augment what the volunteers are doing and add value to it. That is the beauty of how this works.