Irish contract ends

Bord na Gaelige will not be renewing their contract with Michelle Smith de Bruin to promote Irish. The contract had just completed its third year.

A fluent speaker, de Bruin was first recruited by the board after her Olympic successes. It was a yearly contract, the last of which finished on May 1st.

"Yearly contracts were normal procedure and the last of her sponsorship finished on May 1st of this year," a spokeswoman for Bord na Gaelige confirmed yesterday. "It is not going to be renewed and this is not particularly to do with the CAS decision. There was a board meeting shortly after the end of the last contract and that was when the decision was made. It was not a recent decision. Her sponsorship was treated no differently than any other.

"She was a good promoter of the language and raised its profile and our profile. She was always willing to speak to national language media in Irish, and that was one of the main issues from our point of view."

The deal with Bord na Gaeilge was the last visible relationship de Bruin had with sponsors. She was also used extensively in the promotion of a shampoo product and a courier service; both endorsement contracts finished some time ago.