COMMENT: Shane Lowry's Amgen Irish Open win lifts all our hearts
Doonbeg will long be remembered by Offaly people for Shane Lowry's victory but it may also go down in the history books as one of the seminal moments on the path to Irish reunification
SHANE LOWRY'S magnificent performance and ultimate victory over the weekend at the Amgen Irish Open in Doonbeg in county Clare lifted the spirits of all.
The talented Clara man completed a remarkable win in Doonbeg, finishing 11 shots ahead of his nearest contender.
He did so as US President Donald Trump watched on, with the US President having wished the Offaly man best of luck with a handshake earlier that day.
Chants of ‘Ole, Ole’ broke out on the 18th as Lowry hit the green with a ten shot lead.
Incredibly, he finished with another birdie to finish on 23 under, posting 63 for his final round, 11 shots ahead of his nearest contender.
It was a remarkable performance by the Offaly man who grabbed control of the tournament on Friday and never really looked back after that.
An emotional Shane thanked his wife Wendy and his family for all their support and he looked forward to finally bringing home a trophy to his children.
The trophy was presented by a delighted President Trump.
Unsurprisingly Shane's win was celebrated enthusiastically in his home town of Clara with his uncle Tommy Scanlon leading the festivities in local pub Dolan's, which also celebrated its 70th anniversary on Sunday night.
There was also celebrations throughout the county and further afield, including in Shane's own hostelry in Tullamore, the Old Warehouse on the banks of the Grand Canal.
In a commentary on the weekend, fellow Clara man and Tribune columnist, Ronan Scully observed: "There are sporting victories, and then there are moments that somehow touch something much deeper within us. Shane Lowry’s magnificent Irish Open victory was one of those moments. To win the Irish Open by an astonishing 11 shots was an extraordinary display of golfing brilliance.
"But what makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Shane has now won Ireland’s national championship both as an amateur and as a professional some 17 years after that unforgettable victory at Baltray in 2009.
" For those of us from Clara, however, this is about much more than golf. Shane Lowry is one of our own. He is a son of Clara, a son of Offaly and a wonderful ambassador for Ireland wherever his journey takes him. We have watched with enormous pride as that young man from our little town has gone on to become an Open Champion and now a two-time Irish Open champion."
Shane's victory formed part of a truly extraordinary weekend in which President Trump visited Ireland in a private capacity to view the golf.
The President's utterings on Irish unity at the press conference following private meetings with President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheal Martin on Saturday morning made headlines throughout the world.
He declared emphatically that he would love to see Ireland unified – remarks which must have horrified his cheerleaders on the right wings of unionism in the north and in Britain.
On several more occasions over the course of Saturday and Sunday the President reinforced his remarks– or doubled down as they say in the United States. This caused some embarrassment to Micheal Martin who is taking a very cautious approach to unity through his laudable Shared Ireland initiative.
But Trump's remarks show there is a gradual groundswell of opinion, both nationally and internationally, coming to recognise that Irish unity may be getting closer. Fine Gael are in the process of completing a blue paper on unity which party leader Simon Harris says will be unveiled at their Ard Fheis later this year.
The SDLP at its conference in the North last weekend demonstrated that it has become more vocal on the need for a debate on unity and partition. No longer is Irish unity an issue which is solely championed by Sinn Fein and other republicans. On Monday leaders of the three devolved regions of the United Kingdom met in Cardiff and declared their ambitions for Irish reunification and Scottish and Welsh independence.
They must surely have been encouraged by the remarks made by President Trump during what was billed as a private visit to his own golf course to watch his favourite sport.
While last weekend in Doonbeg will long be remembered by Offaly people for Shane Lowry's victory it may also go down in the history books as one of the seminal moments on the path to Irish reunification.