Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I endorse the sentiments of Senator Barrett who referred to the 80th birthday of the great Ronnie Delany this Friday. When I was a child, Ronnie inspired me to pursue his records and go to the Olympic Games and try to win gold as he did in 1956. Unfortunately, I finished fourth. I read the Bible the night before and the Lord said “Come forth” so I came fourth instead of first.

Yesterday, St. Patrick’s Day came early. I congratulate the great Pádraig Harrington on his fantastic win in the Honda Classic. It showed his resilience, determination and character that he fought back when things were not going so well for him. On Saturday, the Irish rugby team had a great win over England in the Six Nations tournament. Our cricketers continue to represent us at the Cricket World Cup in Australia. These sportsmen are wonderful ambassadors for Ireland.

The sports they represent show wonderful cross-Border co-operation. Today, the Northern Ireland Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Jim Wells, formally indicated in Stormont that Our Lady’s Children's Hospital Crumlin will become the national centre in Ireland for paediatric cardiac surgery, another example of the co-operation between health services, North and South. Over 140 children in Northern Ireland and over 400 here in the South require open heart surgery annually. It is wonderful to see this co-operation between the two. The Royal Victoria Hospital will continue to give pre and post-surgery care to those children. I congratulate the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, on co-ordinating the services, North and South, to help children with serious heart conditions.