What a celebration this would be.

Ireland has made it to the shortlist of countries vying to host the 2024 America’s Cup, one of the biggest events in international competitive sailing.

According to a report by RTÉ, Cork Harbour has been selected as Ireland’s proposed venue, and initial overtures made towards the event organisers have been received very positively. It is believed that a memo will be brought to Cabinet today in order to discuss potential for investment in the bid.

It is understood that the charge is being led by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cork South-Central TD Simon Coveney, in tandem with Minister for Sport Catherine Martin.

The economic impact of hosting the event can’t be overstated, with the windfall for 2021 host city Auckland, New Zealand believed to be somewhere between €350 million and €600 million. The three-year lead-up to the event would see numerous visits to Ireland by dozens of super-yachts, both prior to and during the event.

Ireland will fight it out with previous host cities such as the Isle of Wight and Valencia, as well as other would-be first-time hosts Dubai. The title is currently held by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, with 940 million people tuning in globally to see this year’s tournament.

Header image via Twitter/@americascup