Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the hosting of the Rugby World Cup, we recently had meetings with the IRFU. Fáilte Ireland has supported it with some funding to carry out a feasibility study. We will be meeting the IRFU shortly and I hope it will have an update in this regard. I would love to see the Rugby World Cup in Ireland. We are well capable of hosting the event. We should put some funding aside now to ensure we will be able to make our bid and bring the event to the country. Through the Volvo Ocean Race and many other national major events, we have shown we are well capable of hosting events of the kind in question.

With regard to adventure activity, the Deputy is quite correct. Adventure tourists have turned up in my area, the west of Ireland, in particular. It has the natural beauty, water, facilities, walks and the Greenway. When adventure tourists come to the country, they spend more than any other tourists because they are physically fit, go out for dinner and enjoy themselves. They stay in a given area. I hope that Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland put more resources into this area. We have the natural resources and infrastructure and now need to try to bring more people into the country.

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