merrion street

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring TD has said he is delighted that agreement has been reached with the International Olympic Committee for the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay to travel from Northern Ireland to Dublin next June.

"I am delighted that the Olympic Flame will travel across the border into the Republic next year in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics. This historic occasion recognises the friendship, peace and cooperation that now exists on the island of Ireland and demonstrates the unifying power of sport.

"A number of international teams have already chosen Dublin as a training base before the London Games. The visit of the Olympic Flame next year will be a wonderful opportunity for the whole of Ireland to be even more closely involved with the 2012 London Olympic Games and for Irish people to be part of the biggest sporting event in the world.

"This is also tremendous news from a tourism perspective. This year we had the highly successful visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama, and today’s announcement means that we will again have an opportunity for significant international media focus on Ireland next summer. I know the tourism agencies will be doing everything they can to maximise the benefits of the torch being in Dublin. It should be particularly useful in terms of generating further positive publicity in Great Britain - our most important overseas tourism market."