Golf jargon is littered with phrases about birds. There are birdies, eagles and even albatrosses.
Last Saturday, however, it was geese which dominated play at Howth Golf Club, when players found a dead goose on the fourth green.
Mindful of the threat from avian flu, a call was made by a member of the public to gardaí in Howth and to the Department of Agriculture head offices in Kildare Street, Dublin.
That call, at 2.10pm, was acted on by department veterinary staff, who went to investigate and to examine the dead goose.
It was found dead, as reported, on the fourth green and, while the bird was sent for examination and found to be clear of the disease, the cause of death was evident.
The goose had been killed by being struck by a golf ball.
To date, no one has owned up to the killing.
