An Irish hockey team says Canada was instrumental in plans to build a new rink for the country’s players.
The Republic of Ireland has been without a permanent rink since 2010, when its last such facility closed down, CBC News reported. Since then, players have trained on temporary rinks during the winter and have used in-line skates during warmer months.
Plans for a new rink started to be laid when a local Irish team — the Flying Ducks of the Irish Ice Hockey Association — visited Montreal to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2017 and met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The hockey players told the prime minster about their predicament.
Four months later, Trudeau mentioned the rink predicament during public comments he made on a trip to Ireland to discuss CETA. Hockey players credited his comments for getting local politicians on board and plans are now underway to build a new rink.
While lawyers are still finalizing details, the new rink is expected to be built in the same location as the old one that closed in 2010, according to CBC.