Irish supporters - Sporting spirit is our great asset

The eyes of the country will be on the rugby match in Cardiff this afternoon. It is more than 60 years since Ireland won its only grand slam, and this would be our first in the Six Nations Championship.

Later tonight Bernard Dunne will be fighting Ricardo Cordoba for the WBA World Super Bantamweight title in Dublin. Although the underdog, he is in with a fighting chance.

Those who are old enough will remember the lift that Stephen Roche gave to nation during the last economic recession with his wins in the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and World Championship of 1987.

Those stirring achievements were followed the next summer by the exploits of the Irish soccer team in the European Championships in Germany, and later in the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Those events gave the nation something to cheer about in the midst of economic gloom.

The performance of the magnificent Irish supporters then was every bit as important as the sporting achievements. The fans were among the best ambassadors that this country ever sent abroad, because they projected a new international image for this country. All too often, the only time that people on the continent heard of us was when individuals went on a murderous rampage with car bombs or pub bombs.

The Irish fans were a credit to this nation, because they retained the humour and celebrated in victory and defeat in a true sporting spirit.

They recognised that getting there in the first place was a real achievement. Coming back from Germany, Jack Charlton expressed amazement at the public reception. He wondered what it would have been like if they had actually won.

In a sense they did win. Germans took the Irish supporters to their hearts, and a welcome offshoot here was a great influx of German visitors, who provided a real boost to tourism in this country.

The same thing happened again after the World Cup in Italy. For the first time a significant number of Italian tourists began visiting Ireland, and the Irish pub suddenly became an international phenomenon.

People have recognised the value of sport as a unifier when played in the proper spirit. It is all the more valuable in times of economic gloom and political uncertainty.

In the wake of the recent outrages in the North, it is worth remembering that today is an all-Ireland occasion. It is one of those times when sport helps to demonstrate that all the people on this island have more in common than the relics of history that divide us.