Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I apologise for missing his opening remarks, as I was otherwise engaged with another portfolio in the Minister's brief, presenting the annual awards to young athletes who have represented Ireland well throughout the year.

I am delighted to contribute to the debate on tourism. Many years ago, as a young man, I worked for Bord Fáilte in the US as a youth and educational representative. In those days, in order to be allowed to come in at 10 a.m. and leave at 4 p.m. so I would have time to do my twice-daily training, I agreed to wear the words "Discover Ireland" on the front of my running shirt and "It’s great, it’s green" on the back. I did my duty as an amateur athlete, not getting paid for wearing those words on my shirt, and photographs of it can be seen to this day in various magazines any time the Chairman of the Boards is ever mentioned. While I lived in America, I was always fascinated by the affection the people there had for this great little island of ours in the North Atlantic, called the Emerald Isle. As far as the people in the US are concerned, it is a jewel.