Ireland’s Major Champions – A New Breed Of Sportsmen?

Harrington also does great work with different elements within the Special Olympics administration.

In today’s professional era it is easy to loathe the sportsmen who adorn it and it’s never-ending commercial riches, but fortunately Ireland still possess some of the most grounded and amicable golfers in the sport.

It is well documented that Rory McIlroy was given the perfect platform growing up to become the budding genius he is today with his parents giving him every available option to pursue his dream of golfing greatness.

So when he almost decapitated a fan with a stray tee shot on Thursday it would be even easier to dismiss him as an unruly spoilt sportsman, caring about no-one but himself.

Not even the predictable gesture of giving the unfortunate fan a signed glove would be enough to melt the hearts of ice possessed by his detractors.

The signed glove is an expected gesture once a fan is struck, and perhaps on TV it looked more like McIlroy was worried about where his ball was and not the young victim’s wellbeing.

But how many people slating McIlroy for his ice-cold emotions would be as quick to praise him for his next gesture? A gesture that showed the man from Holywood‘s real character and true heart.

The gesture happened well away from the glare of the TV cameras so desperate to catch a glimpse of him handing over the signed glove, but was not as widely reported.

What happened after McIlroy’s round was the stuff of dreams for young fan Jason Blue; the 16 year old had been due to stay in a tent during The Open around the complex of Royal Lytham & St.Anne’s but on Thursday his bruised head of a cloud had a very silver lining.

Following his opening round McIlroy saw to it that the youngster and his pal, who were expecting to stay in a tent, stayed in a five star hotel for the night. The Holywood golfer said:

“I hated the thought of him spending the night in a tent after getting that bang on the head.

“I’d like him to have a roof over his head tonight and a comfortable place to stay. It’s the least I can do.”

And McIlroy’s comments afterwards show the true measure of the man that is most definitely a tempered and focused figure; but behind the steely exterior portrayed in the media and on the golf course there lies a heart of gold that the top four Irish golfers seem to naturally possess.

McIlroy is always seen as a focused and ruthless young sportsman, but Thursday’s gesture showed another side to his personality.

Such an incident may seem farfetched and a one-off with professional sportsmen at the top of their game but for Irish golfers generosity and an affable personality, albeit not always a spotlighted one, seem to go hand in hand.

McIlroy is not the first Irish golfer to extend the hand of generosity to someone in need, as Padraig Harrington last year decided that for three tournaments he would offer up his sponsorship slots to the three highest bidders with all proceeds going to charity.

Harrington auctioned off the spaces available on his shirt and cap for The Masters, the Shell Houston Open and the Heritage last season and raised over £200,000 for the Padraig Harrington Charitable Foundation for Gerard Byrne.

Gerard Byrne is Harrington’s wife’s cousin who was sadly paralyzed from the waist down following a car accident and Harrington’s gesture last season was fully endorsed by his own sponsors who backed the Dubliner’s humble effort of kindness.

Harrington was golf’s hottest property not too long ago but it seems the achievements did not change the man too much and his grounded appeal is something his peer and fellow Open winner Darren Clarke possesses.

Clarke was Ireland’s nearly man, the loving father and husband who saw his life come crashing down around him when his wife Heather died in 2006 after a lengthy battle with breast cancer.

Clarke performed a rousing and highly emotional return to golf just six weeks later helping Europe retain the Ryder Cup with some fantastic golf, fighting tears back all the way around The K Club.

But it was only the beginning of a public love affair with Clarke as the nation loves nothing more than a hero with emotion and a down to earth attitude, something Clarke continues to have in spades.

When Clarke won the coveted Claret Jug last year at Royal St.George’s he dedicated the win to his late wife, savouring the moment for what it was and toasting his victory over Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson with many a Guinness and cigar.

Clarke is the kind of sportsman the public love. Not afraid of a drink or meal, he has the game to back up his charismatic lifestyle.

Perhaps he even savoured it too much as was said in some publications but isn’t that what we love? A champion with real honest faults in life?

Clarke doesn’t hide away from who he is, and although his might not be a penchant for charitable endeavours a la McIlroy and Harrington, he is yet another Irish golfer who’s firmly got his feet on the ground. A man with a lot of time for the ordinary person, and not the suits. Even as an Open champion.

Finally from the top brass of Irish golf we have another northerner, if you excuse his American twang that is. See Graeme McDowell is a marmite character in the world of Irish golf.

Many think he’s pompous, arrogant and a man who’s forgotten where he’s from. Others think he’s charming, wily and the most charismatic golfer we have in Ireland today.

One thing’s for sure, G-Mac, as he’s affectionately known, has most certainly not forgotten where he is from. McDowell might have the strangest accent to come out of Portrush post World War II but his Yankee infused twang is a credible characteristic and adds to the persona.

Then again, perhaps that statement is one for the most opinionated among us. However, despite his American accent and apparent loss of locality to the Irish public G-Mac remains on an even keel personality wise.

Major championships change men, just look at Tiger Woods, but McDowell has not changed from his 2011 US Open win. Not much anyway.

McDowell’s suave demeanour and sophisticated charm endear him to many but falls foul of others. Like him or loathe him, G-Mac is a credit to Irish sport for his endeavours on and off the course.

With a major win comes major pressures along with major commercial deals, but thankfully McDowell continued the trend of golfing generosity on the island of Ireland following the win.

McDowell does great work for numerous charities and in February of this year he raised $100,000 alone to a high-bidder for a prestigious round of golf with the former US Open champion.

G-Mac was working at a fundraiser held in aid of Dublin Children’s Hospital in New York as his charity the GMAC Foundation has very strong links with the hospital.

The round of golf with the Portrush man was a staggering take for the hospital and the fundraiser itself accumulated over $500,000 as McDowell mingled with fans and played down his role in the event.

Between these four sporting stars they have amassed six major championships in the last six years but it is remarkable to see that the four men are as rooted in kindness and humbleness as they have ever been.

People may slate sportsmen for their big pay cheques and their lack of affinity with their supporters or local public, but it cannot be said for Ireland’s major winners.

In Harrington, McIlroy, Clarke and McDowell it is clear that Irish golf has four of the best. Four champions with the spirit of giving, men who can mix the skill with the magnanimity to produce an unheralded tonic to sport’s rich and famous.

Related articles

• McIlroy a star still waiting to shine (miamiherald.com)
• Irish Open Buzzing Like a Major, Says McDowell (nytimes.com)
• Rory McIlroy hits fan with drive at Open (thesun.co.uk)

Kerry v Tyrone in July. Is that a misprint?

Tyrone v Kerry on a Saturday in July just seems wrong on so many levels but it is what the GAA family will find themselves enthralled in this evening.

Kerry and Tyrone will be wary of the dangers of each other this evening.

The throw-in is at 5 o clock and even that in itself became a bit of a furore earlier in the week as Tyrone complained that a late kick off would be unfair on the fans travelling down from the northern county.

Tv3 will be screening the game although the Tyrone county board’s grumblings almost gave way to a non-show of one of the biggest qualifiers since the concept was born in 2001.

The TV station had wanted to put the mouth-watering clash on air with a 7pm throw-in but the Tyrone board wanted the game to be played at 3pm to allow time for fans to travel back, also taking into consideration that many fans would be hoping to travel to Clones a day later for the Ulster Minor Final.

Thankfully both sides managed to thrash out a compromise and the biggest game of football this year will now go on air at 4.30pm this evening with throw in at 5pm.

There have been many calls from all quarters in recent years for the qualifiers to be modified in all sorts of ways; there has been talk of scrapping the 6 day turnaround for beaten provincial finalists to scrapping the league in favour of a more drawn out qualifying championship but all will be forgotten for at least 2 hours tomorrow.

Fans will flock to Killarney with the very real danger of one of the plausible All-Ireland favourites being out of the Championship in July. A stark thought for men and women from either county.

It has been well documented that Kerry and Tyrone are not the forces of old, that they are not the same sides that won seven consecutive Sam Maguires between them in the early noughties, but who said they were?

Anyone who thinks Tyrone or Kerry are the same sides of a decade ago needs to be told how a team sport works. Yes, players move on and teams develop for better or for worse but one thing is for sure – Saturday’s game needs no introduction to the players.

It might be Peter Canavan versus Darragh O Se in the pundits box this weekend and not the pitch, but try telling the returning Stephen O’Neill or Marc O Se this isn’t as big a game as previous meetings.

Stephen O’Neill is a welcome addition to the Tyrone starting XV for today’s game.

Qualifiers or not, this is the biggest game of football either side has played this year. It’s even bigger than Kerry’s game against Cork in May which sees them in this precarious position.

Both sides will come flying out of the blocks and there is plenty of attacking menace to turn this game into another classic much like those that were served up by the pair in the early noughties.

It will be a tough assignment for the Red Hands no doubt, as Kerry are a formidable side at any stage in the Championship but the qualifiers have been known to serve up a few upsets down the years.

A win for the Ulstermen may only be described as an upset due to The Kingdom’s home advantage and history, as for many this match is evenly balanced.

Neither side has played their best football yet, with Kerry scraping through against Westmeath last time out as Tyrone downed Roscommon at Dr.Hyde Park.

However Kerry have an abundance of talent that just seem to produce on the day and the Tyrone back-line will have to be wary of the aerial threat from Kieran Donaghy and his partnership with the ruthless Colm Cooper.

It will be an interesting encounter at Fitzgerald Stadium this evening with both sides hungry to progress to round 4 whilst simultaneously disposing of a big threat to their prospective All Ireland crowns.

Darran O’Sullivan scored Kerry’s winner against Westmeath last week but the dynamic forward has been plagued by a hamstring injury which sees him on the bench again.

Kerry have plenty of class but looked shaky at times against Westmeath last week and such shakiness will be afforded no excuse from the accomplished Tyrone forward line. On the other hand Tyrone’s defence isn’t what it was and Kerry have a ruthless full forward line even if they haven’t got going yet.

This one could be a very high scoring game but Tyrone could just pip it if their midfield gets a grip on the game early. It will be a tough game for both sides but if Clarke and McCrory can get to grips with Donaghy and Cooper then we could see last year’s All Ireland finalists out of the Championship in July for the first time in their history.

 

Verdict – Tyrone by a whisker

 

• Tyrone: P McConnell, A McCrory, C Clarke, D Carlin, C McCarron, C Gormley, Sean O’Neill, Joe McMahon, C Cavanagh, Matthew Donnelly, Mark Donnelly, P Harte, M Penrose, Stephen O’Neill, O Mulligan. 

• Kerry: B Kealy, M O Se, A O’Mahony, S Enright, T O’Se, A O’Mahony, S Enright, T O’se, E Brosnan, K Young, A Maher, B Sheehan, P Galvin, Declan O’Sullivan, D Walsh, J O’Donoghue, C Cooper, K Donaghy.

 

Related articles

• GAA Football Qualifiers Draw Rounds 3 & 4 (kerrynews.wordpress.com)