Irish Examiner view: Rome gave Ireland even more reasons to fund our athletes properly

Ireland’s Chris O’Donnell, Rhasidat Adeleke, Thomas Barr, and Sharlene Mawdsley celebrate with their Mixed 4x400m Relay gold medals at the Stadio Olympico — just one of the Irish success stories from the European Athletics Championships. Picture: Morgan Treacy/Inpho

There can be no doubt about the highlight of the week for most Irish people — the magnificent performances by our athletes at the European Championships in Rome have been good for the soul.

Rhasidat Adeleke and Phil Healy, Sharlene Mawdsley and Sophie Becker, Ciara Mageean and Thomas Barr, were all well known before the championships began, but they are household names now. The power and determination of the female athletes has been particularly eye-catching in the last week or two as medals have been won and records broken.

A different sport has been having a far more difficult time in the limelight recently. Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) said this week it was “deeply shocked and appalled” by scenes in an RTÉ programme investigating the treatment of horses.

HRI added that the abuse shown in the programme was not the “experience of the vast majority of the 30,000 people who make their livelihood in the horse racing and breeding industry in Ireland”, underlining its view that those industries are a vital sector of the economy.

It is certainly a sector which receives significant State support. 

Before Christmas, the Government approved its budgetary decision to provide a package of €95m in funding to the Irish greyhound and horse racing industries.

By contrast, last March, Athletics Ireland thanked Sport Ireland and relevant ministers for an “increased core funding allocation of €1,230,000 for 2024”.

That is not the entirety of funding for athletics in this country, or even the entirety of funding for elite athletes such as the successful competitors in Rome. 

Public investment in high-performance sport across the board is at €25m this year, a record high.

However, the contrast between the State’s support for a private industry and its support for a range of activities open to all is marked.

Athletics should receive more State support: The benefits of greater investment are so obvious they hardly need to be spelt out, but they go far beyond the boost to national morale offered by victories at major competitions, exhilarating though those victories are.

A fitter, more active population would help to ease the pressure on our health services, for instance. That prospect alone would justify greater investment by the Government.

Aviation sector under pressure

The auguries for blissful summer holidays are not encouraging, to judge by recent developments in the aviation sector.

Aer Lingus pilots seeking a pay rise are at loggerheads with management. Earlier this week, members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association voted for industrial action.

On Thursday, Aer Lingus formally requested 15 days’ notice if the organisation plans to strike.

Meanwhile, the Irish Aviation Authority has warned that there will be a “zero tolerance” approach to passenger misbehaviour this summer.

It is understood that there has been a three-fold increase in “unruly behaviour” between 2019 and 2023, with more frequent instances of intoxicated passengers, aggressive or inappropriate behaviour, and passengers not following the directions of cabin crew.

Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary warned that the passenger cap at Dublin Airport could lead to a “massive crisis” at that airport this Christmas, with fares costing €1,000 for a return trip. Mr O’Leary told an Oireachtas committee he will “make a fortune” in that scenario — but that Government will get the blame.

Clearly some of these are specific local challenges, but taken together they suggest an industry under pressure.

That impression was compounded by powerful images this week from Majorca. Flights were unable to take off and land at the Spanish island’s airport on Wednesday because of flooding on its runways.

A weather station recorded rainfall of nearly 5cm per hour, peaking at up to 9cm in less than an hour. Extreme weather events are now routinely linked to climate change and global warming, and global warming is in turn linked to carbon emissions: The carbon footprint of the aviation industry is considerable.

The overarching challenge facing the aviation industry is one of environmental responsibility.

If Mr O’Leary’s €1,000 air fares become a reality, it may not be because of a stand-off with Dublin Airport, but as a consequence of a green tax on flying.

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Bright sparks: The kids are all right

It can be damning with faint praise to describe something as a viral sensation, but that is not the case with ‘The Spark’, the song which has been viewed over 350m times online.

It was recorded by young Cork rappers Kabin Crew with the Lisdoonvarna Crew, but that does scant justice to the backstory. The children use the Kabin Studio, once a metal container and now a non-profit youth music space, in Knocknaheeny in Cork.

The music video for ‘The Spark’ was shot by videographer Seán Downey, aka SwanIGuess, over the course of one day at the Kabin, on the top deck of the 202 bus in Cork, and at the city’s Pavilion venue. The energy and excitement are tangible in the video, which has been enjoyed by millions of viewers all over the world.

‘The Spark’ has now been released as a single just as the summer music festival season gets going. It is a refreshing alternative to a music industry which can often be seen as commercial and exploitative.

The kids are all right.