Jul 20, 2015
Attracting more big ticket sporting events to Dublin would provide a multi-million euro boost to the Irish economy, according to Dublin Chamber of Commerce.
On July 2nd the Dublin Chamber published the results of an independent survey which found that travelling fans spent an estimated €11.5m here during the Six Nations Ireland versus England rugby game in March this year.
The study, carried out on Dublin Chamber’s behalf by UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, estimates that the match added €21.3m in all to the economy.
According to Dublin Chamber CEO Gina Quin: “The findings of our study show the value of hosting large sporting events to the economy. If one match between Ireland and England is worth €21.3m, this offers an indications of how much the country could benefit from staging future events such as the 2023 Rugby World Cup and European Soccer Championship matches in 2020. Similar to exports, large sporting events, and also concert tourism, have the capacity to generate growth in Ireland’s economy. Big sporting events do wonders for the Irish brand and help to put Dublin and Ireland in the shop window for tourists around the world. The country’s hospitality sector relies on major events and a strong events programme is key to growing tourism numbers.”
Dublin Chamber said that the aim for Ireland should be to have a year-round schedule of events which will provide a regular flow of visitors from overseas.
Ms Quin added: “A 12 month diary of events would include big sporting events, arts festivals, concerts and exhibitions. Lots of great events take place already, but the challenge is to ensure that events are spread throughout the year. A year-round schedule will help to maintain and increase job numbers in the services sector. A lot of events take place in Dublin each year, but there remain large gaps in the calendar when nothing big happens. The lack of a major festival in Dublin during the summer months, when attention is focused on other places such as Galway, Tralee and Kilkenny, is a missed opportunity for the city.”
Main findings of the survey:
• An estimated 15,000 out-of-state visitors attended the Ireland versus England rugby game in the Aviva Stadium on 1st March 2015
• On average, game attendees spent €764 per person during their trip to Dublin
• The average stay of attendees in Dublin was 2.6 nights
• The estimated total direct spend of out-of-state visitors was €11.5m
• The estimated total direct spend of €11.5m added €21.3m to Irish GDP after accounting for multiplier effects including in-direct, induced and Government recycling
• Visitor spend contributed the equivalent of nearly 200 jobs over the course of a year
• Just over half of the total spend (€6.3m) was on pre-paid items, including hotels and restaurants (€2.9m), transport to Ireland (€1.9m), and the cost of a game ticket (€1.7m)
• Of the remaining spend, just under half €5.2m went on out-of-pocket spending (shopping, food, alcohol, domestic travel etc) while in Dublin for the game
• Alcohol represented the highest out-of-pocket spend item at €2.2m, followed by €1.3m on food
Background to the survey:
Dublin Chamber is regularly asked to provide an estimate of the economic worth of large events to Dublin and the country. The Chamber is able to accurately forecast the economic impact of events as a result of research we have done into how much visitors to Dublin typically spend when they attend events in the city. In order to refresh and update our base data, Dublin Chamber has commissioned a series of surveys to be carried out at major sporting events and concerts over the course of 2015. The first of these studies was carried out during the weekend of the Ireland/England Six Nations match in Aviva Stadium in March this year. The study was carried out on the Chamber’s behalf by UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. The report on the findings was compiled by Dr. Paul Hanly, School of Business, National College of Ireland. The findings are based on 304 responses.
Jul 7, 2015
Date: 08/02/2015
Start Time: 11:45 AM*
* Times subject to change
Start Line: Chesterfield Avenue, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland
Finish Line: Chesterfield Avenue, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland
Participant Perks
- Official Race Number
- Finisher’s Medal
- Admission to Finish Festival and Concert
Shorter Distance, Same Amount of Fun!
Get your friends and family involved in a rockin’ 1.5 mile / 3k Fun Run after the 1/2 marathon.
Finisher medals are awarded to all fun run finishers!
Half Marathoners- Earn double the bling and participate in the Fun Run as a perfect cool down.
Fun Run Race Numbers can be picked up at the expo or on race day!
Click here to view the event flyer!
Jul 7, 2015
Click here to see Notice of AGM
Click here to see Draft Minutes of the 2014 AGM held on 29th July 2014
Click here to see Statement of Accounts, 2014
Jun 17, 2015
REMINDER TO APPLY NOW FOR THE COCA-COLA THANK YOU FUND BEFORE JUNE 29TH
Just a friendly reminder to make your application to the Coca‑Cola Thank You Fund before the deadline of June 29th. The Fund is helping people to become more active, more often by providing €125,000 in major funding for new ideas to get local communities moving.
The five grants of €25,000 will reward the important work done by not-for-profit organisations all over Ireland and Northern Ireland by funding a range of community-based activity projects.
Over the four years since the Thank You Fund launched, €500,000 has been donated to more than 40 not-for-profit, voluntary and charitable organisations.
The Federation of Irish Sport and The Northern Ireland Sports Forum are partnering with the Fund once again in 2015.
Looking for some inspiration for your application? Click here to watch a video of Canoeing Ireland’s Kayak Instructor Training Initiative which received €25,000 from the Fund last year.
Click here to apply for this year’s Fund before the Monday, 29th June 2015 deadline.
Jun 17, 2015
The 8th European Championships for Deaf Men’s Football kicked off this week in Hannover, with Ireland facing their first opponents, Poland, yesterday afternoon.
The match began at 3pm Irish time and was live streamed through German website www.EuroDeaf2015.eu with Irish fans both at home and abroad tuning in to watch Ireland’s impressive victory.
The final score of the match was 6-0 to Ireland, with Jason Maguire hailed as player of the match following a hat trick at 77 minutes.
The whole team played as a strong, united force, with the first goal scored just nine minutes in as Watson and Maher play a move finished by Maguire.
As the scores grew, so too did the confidence of the Irish players, with the Polish team getting few chances to try and shoot. Goalkeeper Walsh stopped short an attempt by Poland at 66 minutes.
At the 45 minute mark, Sinclair took a free kick, making it 2-0 to Ireland, at 70 minutes, Byrne got a top corner goal, bringing Ireland up to 3 goals and from there on in, the goals began to mount; at 72 and 75 minutes, Maguire scored again, before Dudley landed another goal at 81 minutes.
Poland were feeling the pressure as the match drew to a close, at 90 minutes, with four added on for Injury time, Poland tried to score but were blocked by Lowney, who kept the 6-0 victory for Ireland.
The team are now in training for their second match tomorrow (Thursday 18th June) against the Ukraine.
Jun 9, 2015
An accomplished cyclist who has enjoyed much success on the road is taking to the track this Saturday afternoon in a landmark Irish record-setting event.
John Lynch, a rider with Murphy Surveys Kilcullen Cycling Club, will take to the outdoor velodrome at Sundrive Road in Crumlin at lunchtime this Saturday, June 13, to set an Irish marker for the derny, or paced, hour record.
On Sunday last in the UK, Bradley Wiggins broke the UCI Hour Record at Lee Valley Velopark by completing a distance of 54.526km. This was indoors and unpaced, John hopes to reach between 56km and 60km outdoors and paced.
This will be the first time it has ever been attempted in Ireland so once the 35-year-old from Kildare completes the event, he will set a new marker. Officials from Cycling Ireland will be on hand to ratify the distance he achieves. Former international rider and Rás winner Tommy Evans holds the national record for the traditional unpaced hour. He set a marker of 46.166km back in 1999.
Last month John completed his 10th Rás. Leading up to the event, he worked up to 70 hours per week and was up at 5am to fit in training. But while he is a very strong road rider who has won plenty of races, most of his success has come on the track.
In the last two years alone he has won 10 medals at the National Championships, four of them gold. He has been training behind the derny on the track in recent weeks, paced by Liam Walker, the chairman of Lynch’s Kilcullen Murphy Surveys club.
“We’ve been talking about it for a while and if nothing else, it will hopefully get a bit of interest going again in the hour record,” Liam said.
“We’ve been going to the track and doing around 1½ hours; a nice steady warm up and then maybe some 20 minute efforts at race pace. It’s also about figuring out the lines around the track because at that speed it’s all slightly different doing 56 or 58kph. We’re aiming to ride steady for the first half and then pick it up and pick it up. But steady is still 56k per hour!
“It’s also hard to get shelter off the derny in the crosswinds; you can to keep tight, not more than a couple of inches away. And you have to move around the back of it as you go around the track to maximise the shelter depending on how the breeze is hitting you.”
Anyone wishing to witness this unique effort on Saturday, should be at the track for about 12:30pm.
