Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Agus muid ag dul ó ábhar brón go dtí ábhar rud beag níos fuinniúla agus b'fhéidir chan chomh tábhachtach leis an méid a bhí le rá ag an caointeoir a chuaigh romham, tá brón orm go bhfuil orm an píosa sin a leanstan. I am conscious that I am following the remarks of Senator McDowell and the sadness and the sense of loss that he reflected. It is, no doubt, felt by colleagues in Fine Gael at the passing of the former Taoiseach, Mr. Cosgrave. We, too, share in that sadness for their loss.

If the Leader will forgive me, I will focus on something light-hearted and reflect on the achievements of our soccer squad last night which, hopefully, are the first of many achievements to be had. It gives me a great deal of delight that it was a Derryman who scored the goal. James McClean, a very proud Derryman and a very proud Irishman, has done the national side a great service in this campaign. Hopefully, he, along with his team mates and the management and staff of the international side, will do us much more.

In remarking on that, I call for a debate on the benefits of sport. We have had the Minister with responsibility for sport in the Chamber on a number of occasions. We have spoken here about the benefits of participation in whatever form or code of sport one happens to be involved in. We all acknowledge and appreciate the benefits that sport brings personally and socially and in terms of health and well-being. The latter is of particular importance when one reflects on this being World Mental Health Day 2017. Sport can play a pivotal and key role in that, as the Leader well knows. In the Leader, I appreciate I am speaking to a fellow sports fan and someone who, not least given his previous job in life, knows the benefit that sports can bring.

Reflecting on last night's achievement and on the issue of sport, it is far to say that Ireland works best when we work together, whether that is in respect of the all-island bid for the Rugby World Cup to be hosted here, in our boxing fraternity or in our hockey, cricket or GAA codes. We all are stronger when we are united. While some have referenced in this Chamber previously the possibility of having a discussion around an all-island soccer team and what that might mean and what that might look like, it would be good to have a discussion with the Minister to see how the FAI and other sporting codes can think nationally but act locally. Last night, I am sure there were many young children, both boys and girls, in Derry, Lurgan, Newry and in Belfast, who watched James McClean and Shane Duffy, and heard from Martin O'Neill after the game, and want to be involved with the FAI and to see summer camps hosted by the FAI on the streets of those cities where that should not be a contentious or hot political issue. If we are serious about the benefits - hopefully, there will be a great period coming up where we can follow the Irish international squad and see the delivery of the Rugby World Cup - we should have that debate about how we think nationally and act locally, and avail of those benefits for our young people and, ultimately, for the country.