Lovers of golf gathered in great numbers to toast the upcoming Ryder Cup matches. Your humble reporter, who was out and about 'On the Town', summoned up her meagre knowledge of the game - words and phrases such as birdie, into the rough, handicap, driver, links and, of course, Tiger Woods (who was not present).
The room at the Berkeley Court Hotel, Dublin was filled with golfing experts. Preparations are underway even now for the Ryder Cup, which is coming here in 2006 for the first time. This year the Ryder Cup matches will be played at The Belfry in the UK.
Dr James McDaid TD, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, spoke about the upcoming special PGA events in Ireland. Ken Scholfield, executive director of the PGA European Tour, attended to copper-fasten relations.
Billy Black, president of the Golfing Union in Ireland, was there too. The upcoming golf tournaments "will be a tremendous boost to Ireland generally", he said. His own handicap is 12. "It has been lower," he said, smiling.
Pádraig Ó hUiginn, the former secretary-general of the Taoiseach's Department, who is the chairman of Team Ireland Golf Trust was in attendance too. And what is his own handicap? "A very dangerous 19," he said, wickedly.