Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

In the early 1980s when I was playing Gaelic football and soccer with enthusiasm, a rugby club called East Connacht was founded in Carrick-on-Shannon. The club generated considerable interest in north Roscommon, south Sligo and Leitrim and many of my friends were involved in it. The highlight of the year was the game against Loughrea or Creggs which the team invariably lost.

We used to enjoy our trips to Dublin. At the time Ireland was doing very well and won the triple crown. Connacht rugby, however, was not taken seriously. When asked, for example, in Old Wesley rugby ground for which team we played, no one had heard of East Connacht. Nevertheless, we enjoyed following Ireland and participating in the sport. This was during a time of virtually no under age rugby or coaching when Connacht rugby was dismissed. In the past 15 years there has been a renaissance with professionals finally coming into the game and clubs such as Buccaneers, Creggs, Monaveigh and Galwegians all contesting. At last Connacht rugby has come of age.

With the IRFU facing a major budget deficit of €4 million this year and as much as €7 million next year, it is easy to float the idea of reducing the professional playing pool from 120 players to 90. One does not have to be a genius to understand the proposal targets Connacht players and Connacht rugby. This is unfair given that many players want to play for the province and gain access to the all-Ireland team by doing so. I wonder if the proposal is related to Connacht becoming a threat to the old school of rugby. We are being told to tighten to our belts, which we have heard before, and that €2 million can be saved by getting rid of Connacht rugby. I have been impressed with all aspects of Connacht rugby, particularly the success it has enjoyed. If Irish rugby is to continue, it must include an input from Connacht.

Journalists such as Brendan Fanning argue that Connacht has done precious little to save itself. The tone of his recent article was very unsympathetic to Connacht's cause and the amount of work done. Are the people concerned really interested in rugby in an all-Ireland sense? George Hook said it was not a Cromwellian attack on Connacht but if one is surrounded by 27 counties which believe they will be all right while the five counties in Connacht must do without, one would rightly think it is an attack on the west.

My interest lies in the proliferation of rugby clubs in Connacht and ensuring they are vibrant and that people in my area can participate in the game, unlike what happened 20 years ago. If one travelled to Dublin then and was asked where one was from, one would not be taken seriously. However, we are being taken seriously now but need funding and support from everybody.