RECOGNITION OF ATHLETES FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

That this House recognises the achievements by athletes from Northern Ireland in recent months; acknowledges the superb golf played in difficult circumstances by the European team in the Ryder Cup;notes that for a country the size of Northern Ireland to have two of the finest golfers in the world in Graham McDowell and Rory McIlroy, who played such an instrumental part in winning the trophy alongside Graham McDowell's winning of the US Open is remarkable, together with the Ulster rugby team and the Northern Ireland football team, both of whom are performing at a very high level, demonstrates the healthy state of sport in Northern Ireland; andexpresses the hope that there will be recognition particularly by the sporting media in the rest of the United Kingdom of these outstanding performances by athletes from a country that has a population approximately one-30th that of England.