Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, to this debate on the critical role sports play in our society. Having listened to my colleagues, it is clear we could continue this debate all night in view of the many different areas of sport in which we can be proud of our nation.

I commend the terrific achievement of Katie Taylor in her fifth world championship victory. She really is the pride of the nation in all she has achieved and, I am sure, is yet to achieve. The recent success of our rugby team against all the odds and against people's expectations was phenomenal. Fingers crossed, let us hope the Irish soccer team can continue on course. There has been a bit of a blip but hopefully the team can return from that and reach the European championships once again in 2016. Soccer is my passion, particularly Dundalk FC in my home town. When people talk about soccer everybody recalls the glorious days of 1990 and how it brought the nation together. People nearly went bankrupt trying to get to the World Cup in Italy. It shows how much sport unifies us as a nation and the pride we take in the success of our athletes, regardless of who the athlete is.

As a keen supporter of soccer, and particularly of my home team, and in my regular meeting with representatives of local sports clubs, I am acutely aware of the significant impact many clubs and organisations have had in local communities. Local clubs are integral to their communities and are often a focal point for many people. They provide a tremendous social outlet, aside from the sporting aspect. The sports capital programme has provided considerable funding to local clubs in my area, which in turn gets re­invested in the community and provides a boost which reverberates across many groups of varying ages. This year, 24 local sports clubs were awarded over €l million in sports capital funding in County Louth, for which we are extremely grateful. This funding went towards sports equipment, upgrades to club facilities and other necessary improvements.

Local sports clubs promote physical activity while also promoting inclusion and positively contributing to mental health. That is another aspect we should discuss. I recently met with representatives of Naomh Colmcille GAA club in Drogheda to discuss their mental health initiative, "How Are You Feeling Today?". This excellent initiative aims to provide activities in the local club to help maintain and develop the mental well-being and physical fitness of those who are isolated and in need in the community. Sports clubs provide a vital and important outlet for many people in their daily lives as evidenced by this local initiative, which is replicated throughout the country.

I have been proud to support Special Olympics Ireland during my term in the Seanad. The Minister has also been very supportive. He attended the very emotional opening of the national games in Limerick earlier this year. Special Olympics Ireland was delighted to have the Minister there. It has been my great honour to raise the work of Special Olympics in the Seanad over the last few years. This organisation is truly special. We could continue this debate all night. I arranged for a debate in the House on the work of Special Olympics Ireland previously. Over 3,000 volunteers travelled to the national games in Limerick last June. That is a testament to the athletes and the organisation. The thousands of hours each year that volunteers provide to run this organisation is incredible. Without volunteers events such as the very successful national games last summer would not be possible.

Events are organised throughout the year. The next one is the Special Olympics Polar Plunge which takes place every year at the Forty Foot. This will be the fourth one in which I will participate. Polar plunges are taking place in different outlets throughout the country and I encourage my colleagues to take the plunge and, as they say, get freezing for the reason of supporting Special Olympics Ireland. This evening I sent all Members an e-mail with the details. I would appreciate any support for the Special Olympics through their participation or by spreading the word about it.

I also had the great pleasure to work closely with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, and Special Olympics Ireland earlier this year to see the new Special Olympics Ireland headquarters relocated at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown alongside the FAI, Irish Sport HQ, the Irish Institute of Sport and our finest sporting facilities. This announcement represents a mark of equality in Irish sport overall. I have repeatedly called on my colleagues in the Government to view Special Olympics and the area of disability as a whole, not just as a HSE or Department of Health area in the disability sector, but to have a cross-departmental focus. I was delighted that the Minister, Deputy Howlin, allocated €5 million for the new headquarters and that the many years of hard work by the Special Olympics organisation and those associated with it have been recognised.

I agree that we must continue to support our local sports clubs and organisations into the future and foster this invaluable resource in our communities. I am probably over time, but I will conclude by mentioning my local club, Dundalk FC, which won the league for the tenth time this season after a very barren period. We talk generally about the value of sport and how it includes people. I wish to recount a story about somebody who is very close to me and who lives for Dundalk FC and every match. He cannot read but can tell one exactly when Dundalk FC is playing, who is playing and what the team is. I do not know how he does it. This year, however, Dundalk FC also won the EA Sports Cup final and at the end of the match one of the players, who would not be much older than the chap I mentioned, ran down from the podium with his winners medal, the first medal he had ever won, and put it around my friend's neck. He said: "That is for you, buddy, because you are with us all the way." One can talk about sport, sportsmanship and winning, but I will never forget that. I am even getting goose pimples thinking about it now. It was one of the proudest moments of my life, that somebody would stop and think of the little people and their supporters. Win, lose or draw, that is the real meaning of sport.