Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Gallagher. I very much appreciate him raising this important matter.

The venue in question is synonymous with everything that constitutes Ulster football. As the Senator said, the Ulster final is one of the great occasions on the football calendar. What is special about a facility such as St. Tiernach's Park is the fact it is a town-centre facility and it helps create a fantastic feeling and experience for people on the day of the final. I am very familiar with Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney, which offers quite a similar experience. I was in Mullingar yesterday and visited Cusack Park. The point was made that it is also located near the town centre. These types of stadium give events an exceptional feel because they are located in the middle of towns, which benefits local economies and creates a festive atmosphere.

I visited Clones in September at the request of the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Heather Humphreys, and was accompanied on the day by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, and members of the Monaghan county board, the Ulster council and the árd stiúrthóir, Páraic Duffy. I saw first hand the situation there and agreed that there needs to be investment, in particular on the health and safety front. A number of other areas also require investment. This is something I would like to see go ahead.

We were brought to the Peace Link to see the fantastic facility that has been developed in very close proximity to St. Tiernach's Park. It is a very impressive and is an excellent facility. When one stands on the track and looks to the left, one can see that the Football Association of Ireland, FAI, is developing facilities for the area. Clones has a great opportunity to become a fantastic sports hub. Everything is within walking distance. We put funding into the area and want to do so in the future.

The most recent sports capital programme delivered €60 million throughout the country for over 1,800 successful applications. We know the funding requirement for St. Tiernach's Park is higher than the threshold for the regional or local sports capital programme. Projects like this and other projects which are seeking large investment from the State to be met, in most cases, with investment from sporting, voluntary or community bodies point to the need for a larger scale project scheme. That is why the Minister, Deputy Ross, and I campaigned for the introduction of a new large scale project scheme in the most recent budget.

We were able to secure €50 million which can be drawn down from 2019 to 2021. We are in the process of drawing up the scheme. We are considering all of the terms and conditions, how the scheme could be administered and what the best use of public money would be in respect of the scheme. It may be one which is suitable for St. Tiernach's Park at some stage. I hope to open the scheme in the coming months. It is something I am very anxious to see proceed because there are many facilities around the country which require large investment from the State. They are now waiting to progress their applications and I am keen to see those projects going ahead.

This is something I know is critically important in the overall scheme of things in terms of economics. What the State might invest in St. Tiernach's Park would be matched by the economy of this jurisdiction with one, two or three Ulster finals. The economics of the project make sense. As the Senator pointed out, we have to acknowledge that this area along the Border was devastated for over three decades during the Troubles and needs additional help even now, 20 years on from the Good Friday agreement. Catching up needs to be done in certain areas.

As Minister of State with special responsibility for sport, I want to be able to assist in whatever way I can. This matter is very much on our radar. As I said, when I visited the area in September with the Ministers, Deputies Heather Humphreys and Ross, I saw, at first hand, what needs to be done and how there is a compelling argument for the investment to be made. I know the project has the backing of the county board, the Ulster council and the árd stiúrthóir in terms of it being a priority for the GAA. We intend to pursue the project and find the correct avenue as soon as possible.