All eyes may be on the K Club in Straffan, Co Kildare, as the Ryder Cup approaches, but for angling enthusiasts a far more important competition is getting under way a few miles away in Maynooth this weekend.
The 2006 World Casting Championships will begin at Carton House estate on Saturday.
The competition has been described as "the formula one" of angling techniques. It will attract some 200 competitors from 25 countries, including Steve Rajeff from the US, 13 times world champion and multiple world record holder, and Scott McKenzie from Scotland, a world record holder at spey casting.
A €200,000 prize fund has been allocated to the Emerald World Masters, the on-water casting championship which is being held for the first time this year.
It is the first time that Ireland has hosted the world championships and a crowd of up to 100,000 is predicted for the week-long event. Younger anglers have been catered for with the Emerald World Masters Youth Trout Fly Fishing Competition, run in association with the Dublin Angling Initiative.
Fáilte Ireland, which is sponsoring the event, said it was "a perfect fit for our sports tourism strategy".
Paul Keeley, Fáilte Ireland's marketing director, said angling had become a major world sport.
"Ireland is an ideal destination for the sports fishermen. The World Casting Championships will not only attract visitors in their own right, but will also communicate the attractions of Ireland as a holiday destination through the extensive worldwide media coverage."
For the non-angling enthusiasts, a country festival will be held in the grounds of Carton House this weekend. It will include a medieval village, a vintage car exhibition and country life attractions such as archery and falconry displays. Children's entertainment will include bouncy slides and castles and mini quad bikes.
