Charity golf event may raise over €30 million

An exclusive black-tie charity ball in a marquee in the estate lawns of Adare Manor last night rounded off a big, two-day charity…

An exclusive black-tie charity ball in a marquee in the estate lawns of Adare Manor last night rounded off a big, two-day charity fund-raiser.

About 1,200 people attended the ball, with the big tables for 10 people costing €25,000 each.

At the charity auction after the dinner, guests had the opportunity to bid for a round of golf with supermodel Jodie Kidd, U2-signed memorabilia, a luxury sports car and portrait paintings of some of the world's top golfers.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was among those at the ball.

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The last time the charity event was staged, in 2000, one "mystery" bidder paid €1.4 million for a round of golf with Tiger Woods himself.

Earlier, Tiger Woods had paid tribute to the enormous influence that the businessman JP McManus has had on his own life.

The golfer was speaking in Adare Manor, yesterday, on the final day of the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am.

This has witnessed a host of household names, including sports stars, captains of industry and politicians, give up their time for a worthy cause.

All the proceeds from the star-studded event - conservatively estimated to top the €30 million mark - will go to local charities in the midwest region.

A total of up to 50,000 spectators had lined the leafy Adare Manor course to watch 56 of the world's top players compete alongside celebrities. These latter included BBC television pundits Gary Lineker and Alan Hansen, Real Madrid soccer star Michael Owen, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, former finance minister Charlie McCreevy, as well as businessmen Dermot Desmond and Denis O'Brien.