Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue. I wish to advise him, and I am sure he will share the sentiments expressed for his fellow county man, that we congratulated Dylan Browne McConalogue - my apologies, it is McMonagle, but it was close enough - earlier today on his heroics in winning the title of Irish Champion Jockey. Another champion jockey held the title for six years but Dylan took it with 95 wins. More importantly, Dylan won an historic race in the Breeders' Cup last Saturday night for a national hunt trainer, which was unprecedented. He will now go to Japan on a contract until the Irish season resumes. It is a remarkable success story. One of the headlines in a US newspaper at the weekend was "From Dingle to Del Mar" because Dylan started his career in pony racing, which is very much a community sport that gets very little, if in fact minimal, State funding. I know that people in Donegal are very proud of Dylan. I hope that, in the fullness of time and when he returns from Tokyo, we may be able to invite Dylan and his family to Leinster House to recognise his phenomenal achievement for what is probably a racing backwater, with which I am sure the Minister of State will agree.