Disappointed reaction to Portmarnock ruling

Equality, sporting and women's groups have reacted with disappointment to the High Court ruling that the Portmarnock Golf Club can continue to exclude women as full members. The club itself said it was very happy its viewpoint had been vindicated.

The Equality Authority, which took the case under the Equal Status Act, has said it may appeal the ruling. Chief executive of the authority Niall Crowley said the judgment maintained "an unsatisfactory status quo".

"A significant institution in our society can continue to exclude women from membership. It can continue to set a standard that runs counter to any aspiration we might have as a society for greater equality between women and men," said Mr Crowley.

"This is unsatisfactory in a context of significant and persistent inequalities experienced by women in a broad range of sectors."

Director of the National Women's Council of Ireland Joanna McMinn said she was disappointed "because of the message it sends out that it is somehow acceptable to exclude women".

"We applaud the Equality Authority for taking a stand on this because it has raised awareness of the issue. The exclusion of women feels like such an arcane thing in this day and age," she said. Although the golf club had won this battle she hoped that in the longer term it might revisit the rule.

The Irish Ladies' Golf Union said it regretted yesterday's decision. The union's chief executive, Sinéad Heraty, said: "We would be concerned about the impact it may have on the Equal Status Act." She hoped the ruling would not undermine the Act.

While the union's members were not longing to apply for full membership of the Portmarnock club, the ruling sent out the wrong message, that it was all right to exclude women. However, she thought it unlikely that other golf clubs would now seek to exclude women from membership.

The Irish Sports Council did not wish to comment directly on the judgment. But a spokesman referred to a study it and the ESRI published last year on participation in sport, which found that 52 per cent of men participated in sports while just 34 per cent of women did.

He said increasing women's participation in sport was one of the council's key aims this year. Golf was a particular area given that it was an activity people could participate in into their latter years.

Given women's lower participation generally any barrier to their taking up golf was disappointing, he said.

The Portmarnock Golf Club said: "We had said from the outset of the case that the High Court was the appropriate forum in which to determine the issues in this case and we are happy that our views have been vindicated."