The All-Ireland Open Anyone?

As a 7 year old my father took me to the Irish Open at Druids Glen. It was one of my first experiences of live sport and I was fortunate enough to see Seve Ballesteros play in the flesh. Since then, I've probably been twice because to attend the event generally involves a lengthy drive. Being a Donegal based golf fan is usually not a bad thing. We're blessed with a multitude of championship golf courses on our doorstep. The Discover Ireland ads regularly show golf courses on the West and North-West course. Why then is the Irish Open a purely Southern based event?

 

I don't wish to take anything away from Killarney. As a town they've done a fine job promoting themselves and Kerry has many excellent golf courses as too do Leinster. However unlike other sports Donegal can actually mix it with having the best facilities in the country. A brief tenure in Baltray aside when has the Irish Open ever actually came North of the capital? The Irish Open is, like most other facets of Irish life, not interested in bringing golfers to where they'll be most challenged but rather to where they'll collect the most votes for the party in power.

Hence we have the bizarre situation whereby the Irish Open has not been been staged in the North since the 1940's despite the plethora of courses available and the fact the GUI operates on a 32 county basis. The recent successes of Northern Irish golfers has pushed the agenda sufficiently that it might actually happen. The Irish Open has struggled in recent times to find a sponsor. Yet the NI Executive are prepared to pay money so the event can happen in Portrush. Surely everybody is happy? Both Martin McGuinness and Arlene Foster have backed the proposal so both sides of the divide are supportive. McGuinness can never support the British Open coming as that would be to accept that the North is part of Britain. Similarly Foster can never support the Irish Open coming as this may damper her claims that the North is a completely separate entity to the Republic. Thus we'll probably be left with some PC name like the Irish/Northern Irish Open which garnishes about as much pride as singing Ireland's Call does.

 

At a time when Northern Irish golf is at its highest ebb and the Irish Open is potentially at its lowest ebb this move makes sense. However, for an event organized by people who have so far have shown that they believe the country most northerly point is Swords, it may take some persuasion. I won’t hold my breath on the Irish Open ever coming to Donegal but the North Antrim coast is at least a little closer.