Katie Taylor Croke Park fight
Senator Andrews backs the amendment and says the Government should support a big Katie Taylor fight in Croke Park as a fitting finale to her career. He criticises the contrast with public funding for an NFL game, while others interject in support.
I second the amendment.
Katie Taylor is one of Ireland's greatest ever athletes and she is a huge source of inspiration for people, especially young women across the country. Katie Taylor is an Irish sporting icon. She has often said that fighting at Croke Park and ending her career in front of her home fans is one of her ultimate dreams, so it is hugely disappointing that the Government will not back and invest in making her dream a reality. It is the least she deserves. This is despite the fact that the Government invested millions of euro in hosting an NFL game at Croke Park last year and many millions more in the US college football series every year since 2022, not to mention the huge investments that went into the UEFA Europa League final in 2024 and the upcoming Ryder Cup in Limerick next year.
Katie Taylor defending her title in Croke Park would be a sporting moment on a comparable scale to any of these events, but the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport seems to have no interest in pushing and pursuing this fight. It is not good enough to say that this is solely a matter for the GAA when there is a clear precedent of the State involving itself in sporting events that seem to be in the national interest. The GAA, clearly, does not have any philosophical objections to hosting a fight like this. It comes down to money and will, and the Government does not have the will. A sum of €10 million was spent on bringing the NFL to Croke Park and €58 million was spent directly on the Ryder Cup in Adare, yet the Government does not lift a finger for a female sporting icon who represents a working-class sport. It is well within the Government's authority to help to make this fight happen and ensure it happens. I urge the Minister for sport to reverse this decision and engage directly with Katie Taylor, her team and the GAA to deliver a potentially defining sporting event in Dublin. It is the least that Katie Taylor deserves.
Comment on this
Katie Taylor is an icon for sport and for women. The Government should, at the very least, make a serious effort to deliver a big fight in Croke Park that the Irish people want.