Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to use my time to pay tribute to the GAA family in County Monaghan. As many Members will know, Monaghan is a small county with a population of 60,000-odd, and there are only something like 33 GAA clubs in the county. However, that does not stop them achieving great things on the field. Last Sunday, they qualified for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final, where they will meet Dublin. I pay tribute to their manager, Vinny Corey, and the entire panel involved in that.

This Sunday, Monaghan play in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final against Derry in the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh. Again, for a small county, the clubs, and the volunteers within those clubs, deserve huge credit. For a small county with a small number of clubs, they are competing with the very best. That does not come by accident. It comes with hard work and endeavour. I pay tribute to every single person who volunteers for their local GAA club, and I wish Vinny Corey and the Monaghan senior team every success against Dublin on Saturday week, 15 July in Croke Park. A word of caution to my Dublin colleagues: the Farney army is on the march and it is heading for the capital on Saturday week. Again, Dermot Malone and the Monaghan minor team play in their All-Ireland final this Sunday evening, and I wish them every success as well.