Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No. I am delighted that the IRFU has submitted a bid to host the women's rugby world cup in 2017. I understand that, if the bid is successful, the IRFU proposes to host the tournament pool stages at University College Dublin, UCD, with the semi-finals and final in Belfast. I am confident that Dublin would be a great host for the games, that the public would support the event and make it a very memorable world cup.  I wrote to the IRFU in recent weeks expressing my support and the full support of the Department and agencies. Hosting the women’s rugby world cup would provide a great opportunity to showcase the island of Ireland internationally. 

The programme for Government made a commitment that event tourism would be prioritised to continue to bring major events to Ireland. This provides a great showcase for Ireland and can drive international visitor numbers. Media coverage of sports events helps to put Ireland onto travel itineraries as a holiday destination. The Government is continuing to support the ongoing efforts of the tourism agencies and the national governing bodies of sport to attract international events.

 I am very hopeful that the IRFU's bid will be successful. This, along with the recent successful bid to host part of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament at the Aviva stadium, means that sport will be playing a major part in promoting our national image abroad over the next few years. Successful hosting of the women’s rugby world cup here in 2017 would also help boost Ireland’s reputation in the bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023.

See this speech in context