Mr. Páraic Duffy:

I will respond to a few questions that Mr. O'Neill did not cover. Deputy Brendan Smith asked a question about Gaelic Park. The landlord of Gaelic Park is Manhattan College, the university that adjoins Gaelic Park. The GAA has a very good relationship with the college. We have a long-term lease, and a 3G pitch was developed on the grounds not long ago. There is also a process under way to develop a community centre with community facilities such as a bar and restaurant. Gaelic Park is still very much at the heart of the GAA in New York and, as I noted, the GAA has a long-term lease on the property in partnership with Manhattan College.

The Deputy also asked a question about RTE's longwave radio service. The GAA has been supportive of the campaign to retain the longwave channel in the United Kingdom from the outset, for the simple reason that it provides a very important service for older Irish emigrants. For many emigrants, listening to RTE, including its coverage of Gaelic games, is extremely important. We have been very supportive of the campaign throughout.

A question was asked about whether there has been any opposition from clubs in Ireland to the increasing funding for international activities. While there has not been much opposition, there is an awareness of the issue. The GAA has limited resources and, as with the Government and everyone else, we could do with more money. For this reason, we must use what funds we have as best we can. Last year we invested €2 million in Ruislip, and we provided €500,000 in funding to Shannon Gaels just a couple of months ago. Clubs in Ireland that are seeking funding may argue that we should prioritise clubs at home. While this has not been a major problem, it would be wrong to state that it is not an issue.

Deputy Eric Byrne asked a question about attracting people who move to Ireland to Gaelic games. This has been a challenge, because soccer is the first game of most of those who move to Ireland from abroad, be it from Africa or the rest of Europe. The reason is that soccer is the international sport with which people are most familiar. A couple of years ago, when we brought representatives of many nationalities to Croke Park for a seminar, we found that many of them believed that one had to be Irish to play Gaelic games. They viewed Gaelic games as exclusively Irish. This is changing, however, especially as children go to primary schools and start to play our games. I have seen evidence of this in Croke Park in recent years. In the next few years, we will see many more players of African or continental European extraction playing Gaelic games. This is a slow process that is developing as people from abroad become part of the community. As those with refugee status integrate in the community, we will see more of them playing Gaelic games. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge because people from abroad are not familiar with Gaelic games.

A very good point was made about the GAA's role in providing assistance in the area of mental health. This is one of the issues we discussed in our meeting with Irish ambassadors. Anne Anderson, our ambassador to Washington, emphasised that one of the major challenges the embassy faces in the United States is that of Irish people abroad who have mental health issues or are down and out and experiencing other problems. Croke Park now has a very strong health and well-being section. We employ four people who work full-time on mental health, health and well-being and so forth. Many of the resources we have developed in this area could be used by our clubs abroad. One of the issues we intend to explore with the Department of Foreign Affairs is how clubs abroad could utilise some of the skills we have developed for clubs here. We have not yet taken these programmes outside Ireland. It was an issue about which Ms Anderson was enthusiastic and it is something we need to do. The working group we have with the Department of Foreign Affairs will examine this issue.

To briefly address a question asked by Deputy Brendan Smith, one of the problems the GAA faces abroad is the issue of bank accounts. The cultures abroad differ greatly. For example, it is very difficult for our clubs to open bank accounts in China, whereas it is relatively straightforward to do so in other countries where one might expect it to be difficult. There is also a significant disparity in terms of the availability of facilities and the level of support available. Apart from New York and, to some degree, Britain, we have not had any success in securing funding from governments abroad. In terms of opening bank accounts, renting facilities and so forth, the position varies greatly depending on location. No single description fits all countries.