The confirmation that next year's Tour de France cycle race will begin in Ireland after several months of behind the scenes lobbying, represents a notable coup for the Government and more specifically for the Minister for Trade and Tourism, Mr Edna Kenny. Ireland faced tough competition from Belgium and Italy for the right to host the start of the event. In the end, the promised £2 million in Government support plus one would hope, Ireland's natural beauty - brought the world's most famous cycle race to this State.
The Tour's decision to opt for Ireland should also be seen as a tribute by the organisers to the astonishing achievements of both Stephen Roche and Sean Kelly. Roche, of course, won the Tour a decade ago and Kelly, while never a Tour winner, remains a legendary figure in world cycling. Both came from a country with no great tradition of cycling and both received only scant support from the State. And yet, over one glittering decade, they managed to become figures of stature in the sport.
Inevitably, there will be some quibbles; it is unfortunate that the 3,000 strong Tour entourage will be visiting Ireland at a time when hotel rooms will be fully booked. And the precise spin off for tourism is also something of an intangible; tens of millions of Europeans will watch the event on television but it is difficult to say whether this will boost tourist figures, especially from continental Europe. There will also be some concern that the start of the Tour on July 12th, 1998, could be overshadowed by the World Cup soccer final scheduled to take place in France that same weekend.
That said, £2 million seems a reasonable price to pay for the kind of exposure that the Tour de France will give Ireland as a tourist destination. The Tour is an integral part of the French, indeed the European summer; it is more than an exhilarating cycle race of twists, turns and mountain climbs; it is also a social and cultural event which engages and fascinates the entire French nation for one month every summer. In all the circumstances, the Government is absolutely right to underwrite the start of the Tour and to embrace a unique opportunity to project Ireland on the European mainland.
It is to be hoped that the event will not be used by Government ministers to project themselves or to curry favour in their constituencies. Perhaps this is a forlorn hope; already there are suggestions that the route of the Irish stage will be tailored to meet the political needs of this or that Government minister. The public is entitled to something better. The staging, of the start of the Tour will be a major national event; a chance to sell Ireland and, not least an opportunity for a little joie de vivre on our streets. It must not be hijacked by a political class that has singularly failed to provide adequate sports and leisure facilities for the citizens of this State.