Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I recall on one occasion being in a taxi in Cyprus and trying to have a chat with the driver. I asked him if he knew much about Ireland and he said that all he knew about Ireland was the Irish soccer team and Tipperary mineral water. That shows, in a way, how much we depend on sport to promote ourselves as a people. For a small country, we have done exceptionally well. I look across the floor at Senator Eamon Coghlan.

We all felt part of his great successes and victories. We will never forget watching Ronnie Delaney crossing the finishing line in 1956. For people of a particular age, there will always be a memory of that race. I often think of Tommy Wade jumping against the clock on his little horse Dundrum to win the Aga Khan Trophy. I can still remember that when he came back to Tipperary thousands of people turned out to meet him. I remember the famous horse trainer Vincent O'Brien for whom there was a civic reception when I was chairman of Cashel Urban District Council. He was humble and modest, yet a world figure. I am only naming those close to me. There is also the hammer thrower and Olympic champion Dr. Pat O'Callaghan in whose company I had the privilege to be on many occasions. He was a modest man, yet he won a gold medal for Ireland against the world.

When we look back, we think about the unifying effect of sport. Those of us who have read stories about events in County Kerry, in particular the Civil War, remember that it was the GAA which brought both sides together. This is recorded in many books and shows the unifying effect of sport at the time.

Sport has many faces. Members have referred to the 1,200 sports clubs in the country. Divide that figure by 32 and we are talking about 30 to 40 clubs in every county. That gives an idea of the extent to which people are involved. They are underpinned by 500,000 volunteers. The figures are huge and we possibly take them for granted. When we have a debate such as this and look at the statistics, we realise 1.7 million people participate in sport every year. We are talking about the whole nation; it is as simple as that.

The importance of sport was brought home to me very strongly at the start of the recession. People were down, confused and wondering where their lives were going. However, it was all forgotten when an Irish team or a person's county team was playing. This feeling did not last for the duration of the match only but for days afterwards. It was like having an injection of life into a community. Given its broad infrastructure, sport seems to touch everybody in some way. That is its importance. It affects the young, the old, the poor and the rich. There are no politics; it has that influence for good.

Senator Eamonn Coghlan touched on the commitment of sports people. In order to reach their peak, huge discipline is required. Whether playing with a local club, on the world stage or in Croke Park, the commitment required cannot be overstated. The physical aspect is not the only important one. We live in an age in which we are worried about health issues and playing sport is possibly one of the best ways to have a healthy nation. We have to remind ourselves of this. There is another aspect to sport - it gives us role models for young people. We often hear parents say when young people are involved in sport that it keeps them off the streets and stops them from getting bored. It also gives them a sense of team spirit and develops character.

We need to speak about the purse. Nobody knows better than the Minister of State the excitement in an area when a sports grant is granted. It is so important, be it small or big and we are all aware of it. However, communities are not being given 100% grants, which incidentally would not be a good idea. They will have done their homework and be able to prove to the Minister of State and the Department the viability of the proposition made. However, the acknowledgement of the State makes a difference. It is adding that piece of the jigsaw to develop the project. People will buy a pitch, on which they will have to work in draining and sodding it. They will have to erect a stand and so forth. When I played with Cashel King Cormacs, we togged out on the side of the field in hail, rain or snow. That was important, too, and we have all done it, but it was a different period. We have to be proud of the progress we have made. Only for that progress we would not have had the achievements we have had. There was a great spirit in the old days. If I attended a Munster final in the 1960s or 1970s and Cork and Tipperary were playing, even at a young age, the adrenaline was flowing at such a rate that one wondered if it would be possible to withstand the excitement until the Sunday night. There was always a sense of sportsmanship. Even if we got excited, there was never an artificial triumphalism; the opponent was always respected. That must be part of the social asset. However, like every other country, the country is changing and has new challenges, obstacles and outlooks, but that spirit is still necessary.

I commend the Minister of State who I know has travelled the length and breadth of the country. I have heard his addresses at events and agree with Senator Terry Brennan that there is a passion and a spirit in him which has to be symbolic of the spirit of sport. We are lucky to have people like him. It is one thing to give a grant; it is another to have a Minister of State with a deep interest in what is happening. One hopes he will realise from this debate the admiration for his work and, above all else, the importance of helping sport, even when it is being threatened and challenged.