Lunch with Australian Rugby Union and the Lansdowne Club, Sydney

Speech by Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland

ARU High Performance Centre, Sydney

Wednesday, 18th October, 2017

Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo libh inniu. Is mian liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le Cathaoirleach Chumann Rugbaí na hAstráile as an fáilte croíúil a d’fhearadh romhainn.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to visit this very impressive centre and I would like to thank the Chairman and Australian Rugby Union for their warm and very generous hospitality this afternoon. I would also like to thank the Lansdowne Club for their support for this event, without which it would not have been possible.

This is the first visit to Australia for Sabina and I, and at every event we attend, I am again struck by the depth and breadth of connection between Ireland and Australia. Ours is a close relationship of kinship and friendship which extends to every sector of society from the arts to public life, education and the health service to law and of course sport.

Ireland’s and Australia’s rugby links are long and historic, predating federation and Irish independence. Australia’s first international match in 1899 was against a touring ‘British Isles’ team, composed of players from Britain and Ireland. The visitors lost their first match but won the remaining three and a sporting rivalry was born.

This rivalry brings out the best of both our nations. The closeness of our historic relationship, our family ties and the depth of our respective playing skills ensures that every encounter can be an exhibition of the very best of sport. Indeed, that closeness extends to the heritage of the players as well with so many of Australia’s team, past and present, being of Irish stock. I am particularly delighted that many of these players have joined us here this afternoon.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the important role that the Lansdowne Club have played not only in Ireland and Australia’s rugby relationship through sponsoring the Lansdowne Cup, the perpetual trophy between our two countries, but also in the bilateral relations between our two countries. Founded 31 years ago, the Club has been instrumental in the networking it has provided, supporting Irish business people and, more recently, newer arrivals. They have sourced vital connections which I know have been so beneficial to the Irish community and, by extension, the wider community here in New South Wales.

In particular, I would like to acknowledge and offer my personal thanks to the former Chair, Peter Brennan. Peter has been involved in the Club from its foundation and served as its Chair for 25 years. The success and longevity of the Club is down in no small part to Peter and his enthusiastic and tireless dedication.

Ireland is deeply proud of its rugby heritage and, may I suggest, is home to some of the most profoundly committed rugby fans in the world. We were one of the sport’s founding Unions and the second ever Union to stage an international match, more than 140 years ago. Ireland is home to the highest percentage of rugby fans anywhere in the world. 76 per cent of Irish people can name a favourite rugby personality. 56 per cent of Irish people describe themselves as rugby fans.

That pride in our rugby heritage was very much in evidence in the recent Women’s World Cup which we were honoured to host in Ireland this summer. The competition was a tremendous success and the sporting facilities, as well as our famed Irish welcomes, garnered widespread coverage, and with it new rugby fans all over the world. I am delighted to see representatives from Australia’s team here this afternoon and I would like to congratulate them on their participation in the competition.

We would now like to take that success and translate that into a successful bid to host the 2023 World Cup – a bid that, as President of Ireland, and as a keen rugby fan, has my full and enthusiastic support. As you know, it also has the full backing of the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Authorities.

I have little doubt that staging the World Cup in Ireland will have an enormously positive impact in Ireland and further afield, both in terms of participation in the sport, and its impact on wider society.

The Irish rugby team is, of course, an all-island team, and rugby is one of the sports that has allowed supporters from different political traditions on the island of Ireland to come together as one. And I am glad to say that the Irish 2023 World Cup bid has also inspired the Irish diaspora and we are certainly counting on the Irish in Australia and elsewhere to be engaged as part of our national efforts in promoting rugby, and the Irish bid.

Ireland’s World Cup plans have also brought together the Irish rugby federation (IRFU) and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the biggest sports organisation in Ireland promoting indigenous sports. You will be familiar with some of these sports through the annual ‘International Rules’ series, pitching the talents from Australian football and Irish football against each other. The pooling of the combined resources of the IRFU and the GAA constitutes an enormously attractive offering of stadiums and match locations for visiting teams and their supporters.

It is no secret that I am a keen follower and supporter of sports. Well before I became President of Ireland, I attended sports matches at home and abroad, and based on my wide experience of Ireland’s sports grounds, I can assure you that they all boast a spirit of community and an infectious enthusiasm. On rugby days, whether they be autumn internationals, European rugby championships matches or Five Nations contests, there is always a special atmosphere and great excitement in our stadiums – dare I say not only in our stadiums but also in our schools, pubs, sports clubs and places of work.

Ireland is a country of sports enthusiasts, and one that is unified in its support for our rugby team.

In a world which seems increasingly fractured, sport is one of the most powerful uniting forces. Whether as player or supporter, sport provides us with a means to bridge that sometimes seemingly insurmountable divide to others, be it geography or language, history or politics.

Furthermore, sport fosters in those who engage in it precisely those qualities which are so important for good citizenship and the functioning of democracy. Sports require dedication, discipline and teamwork, and by partaking in sporting activities – by experiencing the triumphs and the inevitable setbacks – young children learn how to participate in a society where they will, equally, experience jubilant highs and disappointing lows.

Therefore, it is very fitting that during this visit to Australia, amongst all the other events to mark the close and

historic relationship between our two nations, I should be here this afternoon, celebrating our deep sporting and rugby bond.

I thank you for your welcome, and I can assure you of my whole-hearted support for the sport of rugby. It is my hope that I will be able to welcome you to Ireland, as we host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.