HE would have a lot more time for golf in the future, the Labour leader Dick Spring said at the dinner in Leinster House on Tuesday night following the Oireachtas Golf Society's annual captain's prize at City West. The trophy, a bronze and Kilkenny crystal lamp with a golfing motif was won by Cork senator Denis `Dino' Cregan; second prize went to FG's Austin Deasy and FF's Liam Lawlor was third. About 70 former and current members of the Dail and Seanad, as well as Leinster House staff competed.
In recent years captains tended to bring the competition to their constituencies but the current incumbent, FG's Phil Hogan, decided that in the middle of the working year few wanted to travel, midweek, miles from Dublin to play golf. However, the much bigger Joe Brennan Memorial competition, which is being played over two days in mid-August, will be at Mount Juliet and Kilkenny - both clubs in his constituency. After dinner, which went on very late indeed, many of the golfers made their way to Dessie Hynes's pub where Enda Kenny was holding a party to mark his departure from office.