Eoin English: €150m is a big ask, but is the America's Cup worth it?

A source close to the process said the impact of this event won’t just be felt within Cork Harbour - Cobh, Crosshaven and Carrigaline would benefit also.

Emirates Team New Zealand (R) competes against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli during race ten on day seven of the 36th America's Cup in Auckland on March 17, 2021. Holding the America's Cup event here in May 2024 has been likened to staging an All-Ireland final every day for six weeks. Picture: Gilles Martin-Raget / AFP via Getty Images

It’s a big ask coming out of a pandemic and in the teeth of a housing and health crisis - to find €150m to host what’s viewed as an elite global sporting event for mega-rich superyacht owners.

And it’s going to be an even tougher sell from a political perspective when we don’t have enough homes, hospital beds and schools.