New sports hub will enable Clonmel to compete for regional, national and international events, says Taoiseach

The new Clonmel Sports Hub would be a huge asset not just to TUS (Technological University of the Shannon) Clonmel but to the town itself, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stated when he performed the official opening of the sports hub today.

The sports hub incorporates a 400 metres athletics track with a water hurdle, long jump track, shot putt, discus and javelin stations, as well as a playground, skatepark, sensory zone, BMX track and a walking trail.

It will be used by local sports clubs including Clonmel Athletic Club, Clonmel Triathlon Club and Clonmel Cycling Club, as well as by schools and the wider community.

The Taoiseach said it was a significant element of Tipperary County Council’s URDF (Urban Regeneration and Development Fund) project for the town.

Clonmel has a rich sporting heritage, dating back to dual Olympic champion Dr Pat O’Callaghan, and it was fitting that such a facility should be provided in a town with such sporting prowess. 

The hub would mean that Clonmel could compete for regional, national and international events. When taxpayers’ money was invested in sport it was money invested very well.

Mr Varadkar said that the new TUS project was a perfect example of the new age of education that had been pioneered for the 21st century.

A university in a town meant that students could study closer to home, while it also brought in students from other areas.

And when attempts were being made to bring investment to a town or an area, the ability to say that there was a university in the town made a huge difference when it came to attracting investment. This would help Clonmel to win even more new jobs, he predicted.

The Taoiseach said he had visited south Tipperary recently to announce 400 new jobs at the medical devices company Boston Scientific, as well as viewing the site of the new Garda station in Clonmel, work on which will begin within weeks, if not months; and the official opening of Bunscol na Cathrach in Cahir.

He said that this showed the value of a Government that protected economic growth, and it showed that the right policies could make investment possible.

The Government was very committed to balanced, regional development.

He said that these investments and others, which included a total investment of €10 million at the former Kickham Barracks in Clonmel; major investments at Fethard Town Park, the town centres in Cahir and Carrick-on-Suir, and at Tipperary University Hospital, would enhance the quality of life here and make Clonmel a much more vibrant and inviting place to live, work and socialise.

“It would be the catalyst for further investment,” he stated.