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Millions of Euro in Government funding is being injected into the coffers of prestigious sports clubs as athletes from disadvantaged areas lose out.

The Irish Mirror has revealed that the Government will fork out €150,000 to Malahide Golf Club in north County Dublin - which asks its members for €8,400 to join.

At the same time a gymnastics programme in Fatima Mansions in Rialto has received 300 times less - a paltry €489.

Sports Minister Shane Ross sparked fury last week when he boasted about enabling a €150,000 grant for fee-paying Wesley College in Dublin.

And last night, Sinn Fein's Imelda Munster blasted the Sports Capital Programme which gave rise to the funds, saying: “It’s the Government buying votes by targeting its own middle class clubs.”

The Louth representative has now called for an independent probe into where the money is going.

The Sinn Fein TD said: “This is meant to be for boxing clubs taking children off the streets.

“It’s beyond shocking, it’s stomach-churning.

“It is nothing less than discrimination and inequality in the distribution of these grants.

“We need a thorough investigation to look at where this money is going.

“It is so blatantly clear the allocation of these grants is corrupt.

“This is a Fine Gael Government buying votes by favouring middle class areas.

“They have just said to hell with inequality.

“Something like a golf club shouldn’t even be on the radar for these allocations.

"Clubs like this don’t warrant funding from this programme when there are so many other areas that need assistance.”

The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport last week published the result of appeals made by clubs that missed the cut for grants from the 2017 budget.

Five private golf clubs scored, while a boxing club for aspiring young athletes lost out.

Three of the golf clubs are in Dublin – Malahide Golf Club received €150,000, Balbriggan €103,430 and Slade Valley €97,760.

A full breakdown of where the 2017 budget went shows some of the plusher parts of the capital are scooping up huge chunks of the budget.

The Sutton and Glenageary lawn tennis clubs got €90,842 and €43,698 respectively.

Dalkey Scubadivers received €52,379, Portmarnock Sports and Leisure Club €51,561 and Terenure College Rugby Club €11,633.

But underprivileged areas are being left out in the cold.

Fatima Groups United Gymnastics Project in the inner city got €489, Ballyfermot Youth Service was given €572 and Drimnagh’s Good Counsel GAA and Camogie Club was awarded €624.

Deputy Munster added: “The very purpose of these grants is to help voluntary community sports groups.

“This flies in the face of the whole ethics of the project and what it was set up to do in the first place.

“The whole qualifying criteria and how disadvantaged areas have not been awarded adequate funding needs to be investigated. Sporting areas that really do not warrant this level of support have got it anyway.

"When I looked at the Wesley College case I was shocked by the facilities they already have. They already have four pitches.”

A department statement said: “In November and December last, €60million was allocated to 1,800 projects under the 2017 round of the SCP.

"The deadline for appeals from applicants deemed invalid or partially invalid was 19th January 2018.”

It added 149 appeals were submitted prior to deadline and 35 were upheld by the reviewers.

The statement said: “Wesley College is just one of the 35 applicants whose application appeal was successful. Full details of all of these allocations are available on the department’s website.”

Among successful appellants were Howth Yacht Club Ltd which got €74,200 and Three Rock Rovers Hockey Club, Rathfarnham, with €150,000.