Many years ago a young girl from Oldcourt in Bray had a dream. At a time when women were not even allowed to box, Katie Taylor dreamed of winning an Olympic gold medal for Ireland. She went on to achieve that dream in London in 2012 and in doing so she changed Irish sport and world sport forever. Katie has been the driving force behind the rise of women's boxing, helping to bring it to where it is today. As an amateur she won multiple world titles and Olympic gold medals. As a professional she has achieved everything there is to achieve, becoming an undisputed champion and widely recognised as the greatest female boxer of all time. Now, as an extraordinary career draws to a close, Katie has one final dream which is to fight one last time in Croke Park. Will the Taoiseach and the Minister for sport do everything possible to make this happen as a mark of appreciation for her dedication, her achievements and everything she has given to this country and to women's sport? It is what the people of Ireland want to see, and it is what Katie Taylor deserves.

I salute the achievements of Katie Taylor. She has been an outstanding boxer and an outstanding representative of people, dignified in her approach. Certainly I hope her dream of boxing in Croke Park can come to reality. No proposal has come to the Government or has been proffered by anybody to the Government in respect of this. Any proposal generally that seeks public funding for a major sports event is considered by the Department of communication, which is the Department of sport essentially. There is a division in the Department that examines major international sports events and it has a policy and framework to deal with it. Some of it deals with tourism potential and some deals with sports legacy. Without question, Katie is an exceptional talent and has been an outstanding ambassador for Irish sport and for Irish women in sport.