Una May has been appointed to succeed John Treacy as the head of Sport Ireland. Ms May is a well known sports administrator and has a family background in Irish road and track cycling, also racing herself at times.
Her daughter, Caoimhe, is the reigning Irish junior TT champion and was part of the Irish team for the European Track Championships last year. Her son, Cian, was also an accomplished cyclist, having raced in Ireland and for a period in Belgium.
Ms May's other son, Oisin, is the latest up and coming rider from the May family, having shown great promise in youth racing to date in the colours of Orwell Wheelers, like his older siblings.
Ms May's appointment to such a prominent position may be good news for Irish cycling at a time when the long-running saga of the promised national velodrome continues.
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While Irish sport, especially the allocation of funding, can be dominated by sports like soccer, GAA and rugby, it should be an asset for Irish cycling to have someone in an influential position who has an understanding of our sport.
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Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media Catherine Martin TD (Greens) announced Ms May's appointment as chief executive of Sport Ireland this evening. She was the successful candidate for the vacancy that arose after Mr Treacy retired.
Ms May has been Sport Ireland’s director of participation and ethics and previously held the role of director of anti-doping.
Sport Ireland chairperson Kieran Mulvey said Ms May brought "huge experience" to the role and had been a "strong advocate for ethical and inclusive sport" in Ireland and internationally.
"She has been a prominent figure in many of Sport Ireland’s key projects over the past number of years," Mr Mulvey said as he welcomed Ms May's appointment.
"Her deep knowledge of the sector and passion for the work of Sport Ireland has led to her engagement with almost every area of Sport Ireland’s business from anti-doping to child safeguarding, the promotion of grassroots participation through the local sports partnerships and national governing bodies to the development of the Sport Ireland Campus."
