Until recently, if any All-Ireland title was to wing its way back to Christian Brothers College, Dungarvan, then the likelihood was that it would have been for their Gaelic football or hurling endeavours.
But the times are changing, and last week the Co Waterford school achieved what school principal Jim Ryan described as "a huge breakthrough" when they captured the prestige Golf Foundation Irish Schools National title at Lahinch. Inspired by Irish boys' international Alan Harty, who also took the individual prize, CBC Dungarvan produced a team total of 232 to beat championship favourites Summerhill College, Sligo, by four strokes. Dungarvan will represent Ireland in the International Finals at Sunningdale on May 11th-12th.
"When you consider the nearest links course to us is some 80 miles away, in Rosslare, their feat was all the more remarkable," contended Ryan, although Harty had played Lahinch in the Munster youths' championship prior to the schools final. However, the other two members of the team (David Morrissey and Mark Shanahan) did have a sneak preview of the course a couple of weeks before the final when Ryan brought them up in his car. "To be honest, that was probably the only thing I had to do as manager, the boys themselves did the rest," he claimed. The omens were good, however. Last year, the three players - all members of the West Waterford Club, which was only formed in 1993 - won the Munster section of the Fred Daly Trophy and, so, knew what it takes to win. And, in the recent international with Wales, Harty had shown his current well-being by winning all three of his matches.
"There is no great tradition of golf in this area, it is mainly football and hurling," said Ryan, himself a member of West Waterford. "Indeed, Alan (Harty) is a beautifully skilled hurler and still plays. When we started to enter teams into the golf championship six years or so ago, they were mainly high handicappers and we'd no idea what lay ahead."
But Harty was introduced to golf two years ago by his uncle John Power, who was club captain at the time, and the other two lads followed. Their handicaps quickly tumbled. So, with Harty possessing a two-handicap and Morrissey and Shanahan playing off five, CBC entered this year's campaign with three low-handicappers and a degree of confidence.
They won the East Munster section and then the provincial section to qualify for Lahinch. Then, last week, with a gale-force wind whipping across the Clare links, Harty shot 75, Shanahan 77 and Morrissey 80 to claim the title, with Summerhill as runners-up and Franciscan College, Gormanston in third place. The next step is to take their talents to the international stage when they face champions from as far afield as Australia in Sunningdale.
