Michael Hoey has only been back in the country a matter of days, but he immediately faces into a non-stop tour of duty on the golf circuit. Last year's Irish stroke-play champion - who has just completed the first year of a golfing scholarship to Clemson University - will lead Ireland's youths team against Scotland in an international match at Little Island tomorrow; will compete in a real quality field in the Canon Irish Youths' Open Championship over the same course on Thursday and Friday; and then, on Saturday will fly out to Italy with the rest of the six-man Irish team for next week's European Championships in Italy. Busy times indeed.
First up is the youths' international with Scotland - and Hoey's inclusion means that Ireland have an exceptionally strong team. Two members of the Irish team that won last year's European Boys Championship (David Jones, winner of the St David's Gold Cross tournament in Wales already this seaon, and Justin Kehoe) are playing, along with in-form players Colm Moriarty, Michael McGeady and Graeme McDowell.
All six are, of course, also competing in the Irish youths' championship - as are the entire Scottish team - and that event has the potential to be one of the best of the year.
Greystones' Alan Murray, another player who has chosen the American scholarship route, is the defending champion but he faces a tough task to retain his crown. Among his main adversaries are likely to be Jones, the player he defeated in a play-off for the crown last year, Hoey, Mark Campbell, Michael McDermott and the other members of the Irish and Scottish youths' teams.
However, an intriguing aspect to the championship is the inclusion in the field of Seamus McMonagle, brother of the newly crowned Irish Close champion Ciaran.
Last week in Killarney, Seamus (after his own interest in the event was terminated) assumed the duties of caddie for his brother in the match-play phase of the national championship - and, now, he will be out to complete a unique family double.
The field for the youths' has been limited to 90 players and they will undertake four rounds in two days before the winner is crowned. Whatever happens, Hoey will travel back to Dublin to team up with the rest of the Irish team who head out to Montecillo, near Lake Como in northern Italy, the following day for the European Championships.
The sextet of Irish players attempting to win the European championships for Ireland for the first time since 1987 are: Hoey (Shandon Park), Gary Cullen (Beaverstown), Paddy Gribben (Warrenpoint), Ken Kearney (Galway), Garth McGimpsey (Bangor) and Ciaran McMonagle (Dunfanaghy). The team is captained by Mick Craddock (Malahide) and managed by former international Mark Gannon (Co Louth).
A number of the Irish team have already experienced the Montecillo course after an international match there last year with Italy - and, by co-incidence (or foresight?), one of them was McMonagle. The Irish team will play practise rounds over the course on Sunday and Monday before the championship gets under way next Tuesday with the first of two rounds of stroke-play qualifying. The match-play phase commences on Thursday week. Ireland finished third when the Europeans were held at Portmarnock two years ago - and, ironically, England, who could manage no better than 10th on that occasion, have been installed as favourites for this year's championship due to the presence of two players who have won major amateur titles on each side of the Atlantic in recent weeks.
Graeme Storm, who won the British Amateur Championship at Royal Co Down, and Luke Donald, winner of the NCAA Championship at Hazeltine, are both in the English team. Donald, incidentally, was also voted the US Collegiate Player of the Year and is obviously a man in form.
If annexing provincial titles is any indicator, then Co Louth Golf Club have a couple of trump cards to throw at their opponents in the ILGU Senior Cup All-Ireland Finals, sponsored by Douwe Egberts, which take place at Westport this weekend.
Deirdre Smith, who last week won the Connacht women's championship, and teenager Jenny Gannon, winner of the Leinster championship earlier in the season, are part of a strong Baltray outfit that also includes current international Oonagh Purfield.
Runners-up last year, Co Louth will enter the finals as favourites to take the trophy. Killarney and Roscommon meet in Saturday morning's quarter-final with the winners progressing to a semi-final encounter with Co Louth. The other semi-final on Saturday afternoon will see Royal Portrush (winners over last year's champions Royal Co Down in the Northern District final) face Midlands District winners Kilkenny, who include Curtis Cup player Eileen Rose Power in their ranks. Portrush have been boosted in this campaign by the presence in their team of a number of players who play their championship golf with other clubs - for instance, Naoimh Quigg plays out of City of Derry while Helen Jones plays out of Strabane - and they have strong aspirations about keeping the title in the North.
The full programme for one of the highlights in the women's golfing calendar is: Saturday - 9.00: Quarter-Final - Killarney v Roscommon. Semi-Finals - 2.00: Kilkenny v Royal Portursh. 2.45: Co Louth v Killarney or Roscommon. Sunday - 9.00: Final.
