Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I mentioned the challenge of retention of girls in sport, particularly those aged 16 and 17. The big part of this is supporting women to get involved in coaching. There is a dearth of women in coaching in all sports in Ireland. If we can tackle that, we can go a long way to addressing the challenge of retention. I am a lifelong member of St. Michael's Rowing Club and have coached there over the years. It had no women in it when I was a youngster but now more than 20 years later, the women's crews are the strongest crews in the club. They frequently show they are match for their peers in the country and internationally. We have members like Sinéad Lynch who went to the Olympic Games. She is an inspiration to the boys and girls in the club and to all of us. It is not just rowing. When I was growing up, Sonia O'Sullivan and Catherina McKiernan were two heroes of mine.

9 o’clock

They set the standard, but we can do much more now as a Government to encourage women's participation in sport. It is critical.

See this speech in context