A Government TD has called for a national cricket stadium to be built on the back of "the explosion" in the game's popularity across Ireland.
Speaking at today's Public Accounts Committee meeting, Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell, spoke about the tourism dividend that can be reaped from cricket.
The Dublin North TD pointed out that 600 million people in India watched a televised match from Malahide a couple of years ago.
He was addressing Graham Doyle, the Secretary General of the Department of Tourism, Transport and Sport,
Mr Farrell said, "This is a sport considered a minority yet it has this incredible reach. We are about to go up a level in the league structure, if you want to call it that."
"This has incredible potential for Ireland to put its foot into the foot of the super league internationally and yet we don't have a stadium, a national arena.
"It has quadrupled its membership in four years and four years prior to that it doubled its membership. So we are talking about an explosion in support, not just in the north of this city.
"I am told there is an active cricket club in all 32 counties. I think that is something that should be considered by the department as part of future planning."
Committee chairperson Sean Fleming said it was a point well made but as it is considered a policy issue it was not one for the Secretary General of the Department of Tourism, Transport and Sport to answer.
