New member introduction: Donal O'Ceallaigh

[Jack_Marr]

Welcome to the forum, Donal, from another Irish member.

John

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Thank you John. It's nice to finally join GCA and discuss a topic that we all love so much. Hopefully I'll get the chance to meet some of the Irish (and others) on GCA at some stage.

Dónal.

[TEPaul]

Donal:

Welcome to the DG of GOLFCLUBATLAS.com where every day is like a Friday night barroom brawl in Dodge City just after the cowboys got paid.

That name of yours is about the neatest I've ever seen. You wouldn't happen to be Irish, would you?

[Rob Rigg]

Donal,

Welcome - I learned to play golf while visiting the family in Cavan every summer. Got a wee bit of a links taste while visiting Bundoran and then a grand one when I had a chance to play BB and Lahinch.

Absolutely beautiful country, great golf and fantastic people.

Enjoy your time in the mad house!

[Ken Kearney]

Hi Donal

I usually watch the game from the sideline...always interetsing. I haven't been online for a while...I was busy but not now...
I am based in Roscommon Ireland and am familair with all of the courses mentioned..."Mighty" as we say...
Good to see some natives joining and hopefully we will meet online again soon.

Kindest regards on a glorious Irish afternoon...off to play a few holes...
KK

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Ken:

Thanks for the welcome. I've followed your's as well as other's amateur careers as I'm from the same era as you. I played in a few boys (Leinster & Irish) championships in 1986-87, but I'm afriad I was pretty useless. Triumphs in the Irish Close, West and East of Ireland championships; very impressive!  I wasn't aware you were in the golf design business until I came across your web site a few months ago.

It's wonderful for you to be able to play golf to such a high standard as well as work in golf course architecture. Let's hope things pick up soon.

It's a nice sunny day here in Sweden, but very co-co-coooold.

TEPaul:

Yes I'm Irish, but it's not as fancy as it sounds. My surname is Kelly, but my father registered me in Irish as he's a native Irish speaker. My brothers and sister have the Kelly surname, while mine is Ó Ceallaigh. That'll be a hard one for my offspring's offsping's etc.  to figure out when they're doing research on their geneology.

I was once asked by an air hostess if I was Hawaiian. Figure than one out!

Rob:

Thanks for the welcome. Bundoran is a tough one in the wind.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Welcome Ken I hadn’t noticed you here before.  It’s always good to have another Irish member here.  Googling it seems you have a no of very impressive titles to you name, congratulations.

Roscommon is obviously the Geographical heart of GCA.   Its where I was born 51 years ago when my father was an intern and I believe Jim Kennedy still has relatives there!


Can you please tell us more about your work at Portmarnock Links? I played it with Ally from the group in Aug 2008 and we did notice new bunkers (including a new cross bunker near the end? No photo’s to remind me unfortunately.)  It’s a course I greatly enjoyed and doesn’t get much press here.
http://www.kearneygolfdesign.com/portfolio_portmarnock.html


Also Killkee gets overlooked here. I must have driven right by it the year before and know nothing about tit.
http://www.kilkeegolfclub.ie/


Finally if memory serves right, your course reviews are frequently quoted in Creating Classics the new book about Colt.  Do you write a lot and if so who for.


http://www.iconbooks.co.uk/book.cfm?isbn=978-184831025-4 

[Ken Kearney]

Hi Tony,


Sorry it has taken me so long to get back here...

I admit that I dont post ... only very seldom...

It's great that you hail form this little town...what are your family connections here...where do they come from and any still about... it would be good to hear about Jim Kennedy's family also. I live in the town, beside the golf course.

Portmarnock Links is a good links but the ongoing work carried out by the maintenance crew under the guidance of Fintan Brennan (Superintendent) is a credit to all concerned...Finatn is no doubt one of the very best links superintendents anywhere... the course now has maybe 60 - 70% fescues and what a difference it has made to the playing of the golf course... When preparing for the ladies European Tour event last year, Fintan asked for my involvement in some bunker remodel works and I was really happy to be associated. The remodel was carried out by the maintenece crew and they did a fantastic job... I used some digital imagery to show the proposed finish look in advance of positioning / finalising the bunkers and it also gave them a good idea for scale etc...

Kilkee is a small course near Lahinch, some 20 miles or so up the coast on some of the most amazing golfing terrain you have ever seen...lahinch on steroids... I did remodel work to 4 green complexes, some tees and hopefully more in the future...it is maintained by a two man crew so maybe the conditioning could be better but there is a rawness and "back to reality" about it that I love... is this the way forward??? Check photo walking to 3rd tee...

I get asked to write pieces regularly... golf magazines here mostly and maybe because I dont have an agenda and always give an honest opinion...they like it...

If you are heading this way...call me and I would love to hook up for a game and a pint...any time - any where...all lovers of GCA welcome...


KK
   

[Tony_Muldoon]

 Thanks Ken, you just can't escape Roscommon around here.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41548.msg881646/

I was only there for 8 weeks, then Belfast 4 years and London since.  I have played with Ally and Jack Marr from the group and recommend getting in touch if you're heading towards Dublin.

I will now drop Ally right in it and ask if it's your bunker he's referring to only today (it's OK he can take it).
http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41781.0/

If it's the one we noticed last summer I wonder if you were seeking to introduce a bit of funk or 'quirk'? Agree it’s another great asset to Dublin links golf.  How did the ladies tour event work out? Can you post any links to articles at the time?

Would love to see some more pictures of Kilkee.

Late one night at the recent BUDA get together I said that one day I would organise a future event in Ireland.  I want to see you and Padraig Dooley there, on my team.

[Padraig Dooley]

Thanks Ken, you just can't escape Roscommon around here.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41548.msg881646/

I was only there for 8 weeks, then Belfast 4 years and London since.  I have played with Ally and Jack Marr from the group and recommend getting in touch if you're heading towards Dublin.

I will now drop Ally right in it and ask if it's your bunker he's referring to only today (it's OK he can take it).
http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41781.0/

If it's the one we noticed last summer I wonder if you were seeking to introduce a bit of funk or 'quirk'? Agree it’s another great asset to Dublin links golf.  How did the ladies tour event work out? Can you post any links to articles at the time?

Would love to see some more pictures of Kilkee.

Late one night at the recent BUDA get together I said that one day I would organise a future event in Ireland.  I want to see you and Padraig Doolan there, on my team.

Tony

I've been on a team with Ken before, Home Internationals Royal St. Davids 2002, so maybe it could be arranged again.

[Dan Herrmann]

Donal OCeallaigh - love your name...  If I had my mother's last name I'd be Danny McGrath

[Jack_Marr]

O'Ceallaigh is a nice name. It's "Kelly" as gaeilge.