Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. This is more a commentary than questions as most of the questions have already been asked. I wish to make a comment on female participation and women sports in Ireland. Despite the recent success of such athletes as Kellie Harrington in the Olympics and Emily Hegarty in west Cork, who secured a bronze medal in rowing, and despite the fact that female athletes in Ireland have generally excelled and are among our most revered athletes, such as Sonia O'Sullivan and Katie Taylor, it appears to me that the culture of participation by females in Irish sport is far lower than it should be and there is far less participation and encouragement. It may be far more difficult for them than for many of our European counterparts where there is much more of a culture of females, and young females in particular, getting involved in sports. One can see that through looking at athletics, and tennis would be a very good example, where both male and female athletes are treated on a par. The same can also be said for winter sports which receive the same media coverage and audiences, whether it is skiing, cross-country skiing or biathlon. The top female skiers are held in the same regard as the top male skiers, if that makes sense. That is not happening in Ireland.

I appreciate that the Minister of State’s focus so far has been very clear on inclusion, inclusivity and in particular in trying to make participation by female athletes easier. That is the clear stamp that the Minister of State with responsibility for sport has put on his role. I commend him for that. Even in the ongoing capital sports grants projects it is important that in order for clubs to qualify, they must demonstrate that they are striving to get women involved.

Returning to the Irish Rugby Football Union, IRFU, letter, my sister - if the Chairman may allow me to speak personally for a second - competed for Ireland in the 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup in Canada. That was prior to any of Ireland's Women's Six Nations success where they have become one of the top nations but she was there from the very start and it has been a struggle from the start. Many of the signatories of the letter would have experienced where it has been a struggle and a battle for funding and proper resources and equilibrium in terms of the men’s game right from the very start. I completely understand the sentiment in their letter and it deserves a proper response, to be treated with the greatest of care and very seriously. I know that the Minister of State has stated that a meeting will be arranged and it is very important that that meeting happens, that there is a fair outcome and that we listen in all of these things. Players or ex-players just do not write these letters or make these points lightly and are doing so because they see fundamental issues. One can see this for oneself. The sister that I have spoken about came up through Clonakilty Rugby Football Club which had a great underage and senior girls rugby team feeding into Munster. I have seen right across Ireland that there are clubs where the same emphasis is certainly not there and the IRFU has a responsibility to ensure that that is there. I would ask that the Minister of State might comment further on that.

The point I wish to make in the second session later is where we talk about the barriers to teenage girls, in particular, participating for whatever reason, and even into the adult ages because of these issues. How much do we know about childcare, the lack of same and the difficulty in childcare provision being a barrier to women continuing in sport? That is my only direct question but the rest is just my commentary. Again I say “hats off” for the Trojan efforts being made to try to address this imbalance and inequality.