Eamonn Coghlan (Independent)

It would be remiss of me on the last day before the recess not to say a few words. It is 70 days since I first attended the Seanad. It has been most rewarding and fantastic to meet all the old and new Senators and the Members of the Dáil.

Senator Ó Murchú stated the arts and culture are not prioritised by the Government as much as other areas where funding is concerned. Six years ago or thereabouts, London was awarded the right to host the Olympic Games. Approximately four or five years ago, the then Minister responsible for sport established a task force to identify how Ireland could take advantage of this. I heard recently that tourism may be the driving force behind the Irish economy. Taking account of the leap year in 2012, today is exactly 366 days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London.

In recent months, before I came to the Seanad, I did some investigating when I heard various organisations in Ireland such as UCD, DCU and UL and young entrepreneurs were trying to bring various teams to Ireland to prepare for the London Olympic Games. To my knowledge, the National Aquatic Centre is the only organisation which has attracted a team, namely, the US synchronised swimming team. I am afraid it is too late. I do not know what work the task force has achieved to date but all indications are that the answer is "nil". I would love to know, because it will be a number of weeks before we return to the Seanad, what is happening with regard to taking advantage of the London Olympic Games and making it worthwhile for Ireland.

While perhaps it is too late to bring teams to train in Ireland, it is not too late to attract the hundreds of thousands of tourists who will go to London to watch the Olympic Games. Why not attract them to Ireland to visit the ring of Kerry and Counties Clare and Mayo to see what a wonderful country we have. Irish sportsmen and sportswomen have brought much pride and boosted the morale and economy of Ireland, not only in recent years but in recent weeks. We are all very proud of them. In the coming days, the sportsmen in Killarney will show Ireland at its best, not only on the golf course but in the television pictures beamed throughout the world. What work has been done by the task force to take advantage of the London Olympic Games which are 366 days away?