Ice skaters and hockey players are calling for a permanent ice rink to be built in Ireland.
They say teams and skaters in other countries ‘cannot believe’ a country as prosperous as Ireland doesn’t have a permanent, full-sized skating rink.
Small rinks in Ireland are typically only set up on a temporary and seasonal basis, usually around the Christmas period.
On Lunchtime Live, Andrea heard from a number of listeners in favour of having a permanent facility here.
One caller named Mark said he's been ice skating for 40 years, but has had to go to Belfast to skate since a small rink in Dublin closed.
He said Dundalk did have a facility between 2005-2010, but that's been closed for 10 years.
Mark believes a permanent, Olympic-sized rink is badly needed, especially for figure skaters and hockey teams who compete internationally - saying there's 'absolutely' a demand for such a site.
Aaron Guli, president of the Irish Ice Hockey Association, is ‘100%’ in support of the idea.
He observed: “I would be 100% [in favour] of having a permanent ice rink in Ireland - we’re one of the few countries in Europe that actually does not have one.
“If you take any sport… if you take away their facilities, there won’t be a demand.”
He said his organisation is currently using an ice rink in Belfast, but they only have one slot per week
He explained: “With the eight adult teams we have, we run a league - and essentially they only get to play once a month.”
Raymond Hegarty is the chair of Seamrog Ice Skating Club, and he said the demand is definitely there for a permanent rink.
He argued: “There’s almost a quarter of a million people who do ice skating every year in Ireland.
“For our international competition, our skaters if they need to train they need to go overseas. Even our national ice-skating competition cannot be held in Ireland… our national competition has to be held in England.”
Raymond said Irish teams are competing internationally against skaters who can train many times a week, but Irish skaters simply don’t have that opportunity.
He added that the popularity of Christmas rinks shows how successful such a facility could be.
