AFTER the destruction and traumas of Storm Éowyn last January, there was a day of welcome relief in Athenry Golf Club last month when the most famous trophy in World Golf stopped off for a visit.

Golf Ireland officials brought the Claret Jug – the trophy to be lifted next July in Portrush, Antrim, by the winner of the British Open – to 23 clubs around Ireland including Athenry and Portumna.

The ‘Tour of Ireland’ by the famous jug involved meetings with community groups, schools and universities but for Athenry Golf Club, it was a special occasion, given the level of destruction on January 23/24 last by Storm Éowyn.

Athenry Men’s Captain, Ian Kelly, recalled the shock on the day after the storm, when they went to look at the damage with several hundred trees flattened and the course left completely unplayable.

“People don’t need any reminding about the damage caused by the storm. I live beside the course and we seem to have been hit by a particularly intense, and indeed frightening, corridor of the storm.

“The scale of the damage was quite unbelievable but we just knuckled down; got in professional forestry specialists; and also received absolutely fantastic voluntary support from club members and the local community,” Ian Kelly told the Connacht Tribune.

Week by week, parts of the course re-opened, and now it’s ‘back to business as usual’ for a club that prides itself in local and community involvement with a huge junior-underage membership.

“The aftermath of the storm brought us all together and we really do pride ourselves on being an open and community club.

“In the past, there may have been a kind of stuffiness associated with golf, but I can assure everyone that this is well and truly in the past. Golf is there to be enjoyed by everyone and it also provides an important place of social interaction for all ages,” said Ian Kelly.

The Athenry club which dates back to 1902 now has over 1,000 members across all categories with an open membership policy for anyone wishing to join.

Golf Ireland CEO, Mark Kennelly, said that the response to the Claret Jug ‘Tour of Ireland’ during late March and early April had been ‘phenomenal’.

“Seeing so many communities engage with the trophy demonstrates how much golf means to people across Ireland. It also highlights the important role our clubs play, not just in sport, but in bringing people together,” said Mark Kennedy.

Lady Captain of the Athenry Club, Patricia Murphy, said that the visit of the Claret Jug to the course was a wonderful morale boost for everyone, and especially for the younger members, following the traumas of Storm Éowyn

“The whole country seemed to have been watching Rory McIlroy winning the Masters a few weeks back and our aim here in Athenry is to get as many people as possible, of all ages, involved in the game.

“We have a Getting to Golf Programme in place where complete novices, without any clubs or experience, can sign up for a 10-week introduction to the game, involving lessons and the opportunity to play a few holes.

“After the shocking damage caused by Storm Éowyn, we’re all delighted to have the course fully back in action again and we were lucky to get a lovely period of spring weather which was another great boost for everyone,” said Patricia Murphy, who leads a close-on 200-strong female membership at the course.

The 153rd British Open returns to the Island of Ireland on the weekend of July 17/20 next in Royal Portrush, County Antrim – the last time it was held there in 2019, one Shane Lowry from Offaly took the famous Claret Jug back to the Midlands.

This year’s British Open will have a total crowd attendance of 278,000 people with an estimated €213 million tourism/economic boost for the region.

Pictured: Athenry Golf Club President, Peter Sheedy; Lady Captain, Patricia Murphy, and Men’s Captain, Ian Kelly, with the coveted Claret Jug during its visit to the course.