Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I had the great privilege as a young boy many years ago to see Mick O'Connell and Mick O'Dwyer play down in Killarney and in the old Cork Athletic Grounds. I was fortunate to attend the same boarding school as the late John Egan, who played with the great Kerry team, and I was lucky to get a Gael Linn scholarship as a garsún and sat in the same room, and sometimes at the same desk, as the great Páidí Ó Sé in the little school in Cill Mhic a' Domhnaigh beyond Ventry in west Kerry. When I did my final law examinations, I had a cup of coffee before going into battle in the company of the great Paudie Lynch, a solicitor in Killarney, and Johnny Callinan of Clare, a man who if he was in the current Clare panel would have won all. We did our finals together. In my capacity as a junior player - I was never great but I loved the game - I played for my home club Muintir Bháire but I was fortunate, having emigrated for almost three years, to have played in New Eltham in south-east London, a long trip from where we lived in north London, and to have attended the opening of, and played in, the new Ruislip stadium. Reflecting further on the greats I also had the privilege of seeing the great John Doyle, Jimmy Doyle and Tony Doran of Wexford play, as well as Eddie Keher, Ollie Walsh and Henry Shefflin, of more modern times.

I could talk for years, but I will not. Somebody asked me recently what my wish was with regard to winning an all-Ireland final. Apart from Cork hurling and football, I said it would be great for the game if Mayo were to win an all-Ireland final, if Waterford were to win a hurling all-Ireland final and perhaps a team such as Monaghan to win. Indeed, it would be great for the game if the Dublin hurlers were to win an all-Ireland championship.

There is no denying that having a GAA background was, and still is, seen as an advantage when seeking election to public office, not least to the Dáil and Seanad. I am even told that flaunting a GAA medal in a hotly contested Seanad election can yield a few more votes. I am sure current Senators Paddy Burke and John O’Mahony might have something to do with that when they are canvassing for Seanad votes. I should also reflect on former occupants of the Chair of the Seanad, one of whom was a great close friend of mine, the late Rory Kiely of Limerick. He was Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann and was immersed in GAA politics as well. There was also the former Cathaoirleach, Pat Moylan, who graced the fields in Offaly.

Emigration has been a major blight on our country down through the years. I have had personal experience of this in my family, as have many others. In fact, eight of my 11 siblings emigrated. The countless emigrants who left these shores found homes among many diverse cultures and built new lives for themselves, deriving strength from their valued traditions. The GAA has played a key role in assisting our Irish abroad by developing the social and cultural life of Irish communities and underpinning and promoting Irish heritage and identity across the globe.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s relationship with the GAA is based on providing a strong community and social network and, probably more than any other organisation, the GAA helps to sustain a strong sense of community and heritage among our overseas communities. Indeed, through the global games development fund, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the GAA have provided matched funding for developmental projects in GAA clubs in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America. All have been truly invaluable in supporting and nurturing a sense of Irish community and many have created important links between the global Irish and their local communities.

The GAA is an inclusive organisation that welcomes people of all nationalities, religions, ages and abilities and which endeavours to make it easy for everyone to take part. We all recently welcomed the decision by UNESCO to grant the national sports of hurling and camogie special cultural status which President Michael D. Higgins said was “a global acknowledgement of the unique cultural significance of this part of our national culture, and of the important role Gaelic games play in Irish society.”

The GAA has invested heavily in the development of its grounds around the country, with the support of funding under the sports capital programme operated by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. It is, however, the association’s headquarters at Croke Park which has been the subject of the most dramatic redevelopment. It is a magnificent stadium. I also congratulate the GAA on its recent redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. We are all very proud of this remarkable 45,000 capacity stadium.

The significant health, social and economic benefits of sport are widely recognised. Mental and physical well-being is a huge factor in today’s stressful society. We all recognise that sport and physical activity have huge potential to contribute to the development of a healthier society. Sport has the potential to build bridges between people like no other sphere of human activity. GAA games play an important role in communities by becoming the focus to bring people together to meet each other. Every summer the inter-county all-Ireland championships in hurling, football, camogie and not forgetting ladies football capture the attention of Irish people at home and abroad. Regional towns heave with the arrival of large numbers of supporters and all of the colour, noise and excitement that they bring, culminating with the showcase of all-Ireland finals in Croke Park. If you are lucky enough to have your team qualify for the final and get the chance to go, do not dream of missing it. Being in Croke Park and listening to Amhrán na bhFiann being played before the match begins fills your chest with pride and brings a tear to the eye. It is also hugely emotional for the diaspora abroad as they watch it on television or listen to the commentary on the radio.

Going local again, in Cork we are immensely proud of the fact that our ladies football team qualified for the final in most of the last few years and I commend their outstanding successes in Croke Park. I would not mind experiencing this joy again with our Cork male teams.

The GAA has undergone many changes over the years. In the context of contributing to peace and reconciliation on the island, its decision to abolish the rules which had prevented members of the security forces in Northern Ireland from becoming members of the association and Rule 42 which had limited the playing of games at Croke Park and all other GAA venues to only those controlled by the association was welcome and a positive development. It is not too much of an exaggeration to say 24 February 2007 was one of the greatest days in Irish sport when the Ireland v. England rugby match was played in Croke Park. Nobody quite knew how the crowd would react to the playing of “God Save The Queen”, but it turned out to be an occasion on which great respect and dignity were shown and it was a very significant step forward in relations between the two islands. We all recall the iconic images of members of the Irish rugby team and fans struggling to keep their emotions in check during the playing of Amhrán na bhFiann. We are hugely proud of the fact that the GAA plays such an immense role in Irish society. It is the lifeblood of so many communities throughout the Thirty-two Counties and the world.

Mr. Horan will have had a busy first year in overseeing the implementation of new competition formats in football and hurling. He has a reputation as a man who excels at getting the best out of people. I wish him well as he leads the GAA into its 2j019 when it will celebrate its 135th anniversary. A Uasail Ó hÓráin, is pléisiúr dom anois cuireadh a thabhairt duit Seanad Éireann a aitheasc. It is now my pleasure to invite Mr. Horan to address Seanad Éireann.