There was, as ever, a weekend of high sporting drama across Ireland, from grassroots to elite and with four provinces securing a place in the Rugby Champions’ Cup for the first time.
It was done though without a Minister of State with special responsibility for Sport. That role, combined with Tourism, has been filled for the past number of years by Michael Ring who was overseen the revival of capital sports grants, the creation of Sport Ireland and the successful application to host four matches in the European Championship Finals of 2020 and the Women’s Rugby World Cup next year.
With the appointment of a new Government on Friday, all the existing Ministers end their term of office. It might be a week or two before the appointment of junior ministers and we can only hope that sport will retain its place within that group. It might be with Michael Ring again as he has expressed a desire to reprise the role.
Sport has remained in the same Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
We believe is a good thing due to the strong bonds forged between the latter two and the work being done efficiently and effectively among a good group of public servants.
The new Minister for the Department is Independent TD Shane Ross. Most commentary over the weekend has focused on his previous battles with trade unions and semi state companies in the Transport sector and that is likely to take up much of his time.
By all accounts he is a fan of sport and a regular watcher of rugby, soccer and GAA. AIB All Ireland Club Football Champions Ballyboden St Enda’s are at the heart of his constituency so he will have been aware of the importance of a vibrant club within the community.
He is the third successive Dublin based TD to take on this Department following on from Leo Varadkar and Paschal Donohue.
He is also the oldest in recent years at 66 almost twice the age of his predecessors but with age comes experience and wisdom, some of which will apply to how sport can edge ever closer to its rightful place at the heart of society, bringing its many benefits for health, education and social capital to the fore.
We wish him well as he begins his tenure on Kildare Street.
