The state-of-the-art-facility, which cost in the region of €3 million and is the first carbon neutral building at the University, will provide elite athletes and elite teams at national, international, and Olympic standard a gym that they believe ‘rivals the best on the Island of Ireland and internationally.”

In attendance at the opening ceremony were numerous recognisable figures in Cork and in Irish sport from Cork football legend Billy Morgan, who won his fourth Sigerson Cup in charge of the UCC footballers back in February, to boxer Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan, to Lizzie Lee, who ran in the Marathon at the Olympics in 2016, to Cork City Football Club owner Dermot Usher, whose players will be able to avail of these new facilities through their partnership with UCC, and FAI President Gerry McAnaney.

But mostly this was a special occasion for the dignitaries that have been involved in this development since the very beginning back in 2020 with Professor John O’Halloran, the President of UCC, leading the speeches.

“The shovel has been put away because we are finished and I want to congratulate the management and the staff of the Mardyke Arena for their vision and commitment to provide such fantastic facilities,” began O’Halloran.

“When we talk about world-class facilities, we mean that. Today marks a significant milestone in the rich history of sport at University College Cork as we gather to celebrate the official launch of the Elite Athlete and Team High Performance Strength & Conditioning gym in the iconic Mardyke Arena.

“For over 110 years the Mardyke has been witness to local, national and international sporting events and today we add another chapter to that legacy.

“Since it’s official opening in 2001, the Mardyke Arena has grown exponentially to establish itself as a truly world-class facility.

“Ambition, dedication, and perseverance defines the very essence of University College Cork. This represents the culmination of collective effort by the Mardyke Arena team to create a space that fosters growth, nurtures talent, and supports the aspirations and ambitions of our fantastic students.

“This state-of-the-art-facility is more than a gym. It’s a symbol of the University’s commitment to the unwavering holistic development of our students.

“The vision of this High Performance gym is to create a centre of excellence. It’s dedicated to empowering our athletes and our teams to reach their highest potential.

“We have incredibly talented citizens in this city and beyond across the country and we owe it to them to give them the best opportunity to excel.

“May this gym be a sanction of growth, a testament of perseverance, and a source of inspiration for generations to come.”

The new gym has already gained admirers from abroad as two German Universities will be coming to Leeside this week to look at the work that has been undertaken.

Minister for Finance Michael McGrath was next to speak at the grand opening and he also stated his admiration for the facility.

“I have rarely felt more inadequate on Monday morning than I was meeting some of the very high performing athletes and sports people here.

“But it was truly inspiring to meet many of you that give all of us so much joy. The level of achievement across a range of sports and to have met people this morning who are Olympians, who have won medals in European Championships… it just shows the investment that is being made here in UCC is paying a dividend and this is about the next chapter.”

Chairman of the Board of Directors, John Mullins, was the final speaker to take to the podium and he believes this new gym is now second to none in Ireland.

“When I looked at the 40kg dumbbell I was saying to the Minister ‘we would have some job lifting that!’ “But that’s exactly what people are going to do. Strength and Conditioning is really important now in today’s games.

“The Strength and Conditioning that this Elite Performance gym is going to provide is going to be superb.

“We started talking about this project in 2020 for all the clubs here but also for the wider community, we are hoping a lot of the organisations here will actually use the facility on a commercial basis.

“It’s great to see that we now have a state-of-the-art facility which is up there with Leinster rugby and Arsenal Football Club, it was designed on the same basis as those professional organisations.

“I would say - without doubt – that this is now the best facility in the country, on this island, in terms of everything that it offers.”