NI Conservatives spokesman for sport, Trevor Ringland, has congratulated Donegal on the county’s all-Ireland Gaelic football triumph.
“As a fellow Ulsterman I’m delighted with the result and offer wholehearted congratulations to Jim McGuinness’s team”, Trevor said. “In Northern Ireland we’re fortunate enough to have access to a range of sporting and cultural identities, one of which is the province which we share, across a land border. Whether it is the Ulster rugby team taking on another part of Ireland at Ravenhill, or a Gaelic side doing the same at Croke Park, it’s always a source of pride to see an Ulster winner.”
“Similarly we are able to come together to roar on Northern Ireland’s footballers at Windsor Park, Ireland’s rugby team at the Aviva Stadium or Olympic athletes, whether they represent Team GB or Team Ireland. We should regard this multitude of sporting identities as a strength and use them to continue to develop relationships between our interdependent communities.”
“The GAA has done a lot of good work in recent years to broaden its appeal across communities and the same process has happened with the Irish FA’s ‘Football for All’ campaign and at Ulster Rugby. We should build on these positive developments, always looking to strengthen relationships and respect each other’s many and varied identities, which we often share.”