Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for your co-operation in affording me the opportunity to address the Bill. I extend my congratulations and welcome to the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, for introducing the Bill and for the work he is doing as Minister of State with responsibility for sport. In the so-called good times we did not have a round of sports capital funding but as the economy began to improve, he reintroduced the scheme in 2012. Such a scheme was welcome and is encouraging.

It is important to recognise the benefit of sport to the entire community but in particular to the youth. There is an old saying that the idle mind is the devil’s workshop. It has been proven that there is nothing better for the community and young people than involvement in organised sport. The return is evident in abundance in terms of the effect that has on community life and the health and well-being of the young people involved. I say well done to the Minister of State.

Deputy Carey referred to the significant number of applications for the sports capital grant. I sometimes asked myself if the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, had responsibility for sport because when it came to allocations of the grant in Tipperary another Minister claimed credit for all the allocations. However, it is clear that the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, is really the Minister for sport. While Mayo might not reach the pinnacle in terms of All-Ireland football glory, the Mayo Deputy has reached the pinnacle in sport in this country.

Initially, I was concerned about the proposed amalgamations in the Bill because amalgamations are not always for the best. A bigger group can often be less effective than a smaller, more active group. In the context of local government when town councils were dissolved problems arose with the larger areas of responsibility and the services provided. However, I welcome the assurances given by the Minister of State that it will not be the case in the context of sport Ireland and that it will be of much more benefit to sport to have both the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority united.

I share the view expressed by Deputy Carey that sports capital funding should be provided on an annual basis. There is no better investment for the country.

The news that Euro 2020 games will be played in Dublin has been welcomed but every year the GAA has four major games in Dublin and the capacity of its stadiums should be compared to that of the Aviva Stadium. The GAA caters for the entire country and we should not forget the work of the GAA in our delight at the news about Euro 2020. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, to bear in mind that the GAA caters for the entire country. Thurles is a provincial town but it has Semple Stadium, the home of hurling. I wish Tipperary well on Saturday in the All-Ireland final replay and I know the Ceann Comhairle will be there to cheer the team on - he is impartial but I expect him to show his true colours on that occasion. We should focus on rural Ireland and continue to support the GAA - we must not lose sight of the tremendous work it does across the country.

Speaking of facilities, the Curragh is often mentioned to me, one of Ireland's prime horse racing venues. The facilities at the Curragh need to be updated and substantial investment is required. The Curragh is the pride and joy of Irish racing but people who visit from abroad are often taken aback at the standard of facilities, which should be modernised. Thurles is the home of hurling but it has a fine racecourse that has hosted many good trainers and breeders and needs development.

I welcome the spirit of this Bill and, as my time is up, I will not delay my colleague, Deputy Pat Breen, who is from Clare. Clare won the hurling All-Ireland last year and had hard luck this year but Tipperary will try to pick up the mantle. Finally, congratulations to Kerry on winning the recent football All-Ireland final.

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