John O'Sullivan talks to Darren Clarke about one of the most demanding weeks of his life.

It some respects it was Darren Clarke's Ryder Cup although he'd be horrified to have it labelled in that fashion. His emotional journey was conducted before the gaze of his fellow players and supporters and was magnified by the television cameras and the media.

He demonstrated tremendous mental strength and character in discharging his duties on and off the golf course. The pictures from the 16th green following his singles victory over Zach Johnson were particularly emotive but so too those on the balcony of the clubhouse overlooking the Palmer course at The K Club.

It's apposite that the post-Ryder Cup celebrations should be viewed through his eyes and words.

"I'm probably the most sober I have felt on a Monday after the Ryder Cup. I don't know why; it certainly wasn't for the lack of trying," he said.

"It was a proper party, good fun, and a lot of us spent a lot of time in the American team room too. It wasn't quite daylight when I went to bed. I'm not sure what time exactly it was but not quite daylight. It was fantastic to be in there.

"Nearly everybody from our team went to their team room, which is how it should be. This week the relationship and respect between the players has been brilliant. They are disappointed with the result. A lot of people have said a lot of kind words to me. It was all good fun.

"Woosie is an amateur when it comes to drinking Guinness. He's a good Ryder Cup captain and should leave it at that. He had a good team and had all 12 players playing well. His predicament was who to play with who and when because we were so strong. The European Tour players are bigger and better than ever now.

"There's more of us playing a worldwide tour and because of that we have more experience and know the guys we are competing against, which wasn't the way in the past."

Having survived the celebrations, the Dungannon man prepared to return home to attend to family matters, weary but delighted. "I'm doing the school run this afternoon (Monday), picking up Conor and Tyrone. I will spend a bit of time with them and then they will go to bed roughly at the same time I do tonight.

"I spoke to them on Sunday night. Tyrone was watching every shot. Conor watched a few shots in between (concentrating on) the Playstation. My overriding memories are winning the Ryder Cup here at home, the first tee (Friday morning) and the 16th green (on Sunday); those memories will stay with me forever. We were here as a team; there were no individual performances."

The suggestion the last week would accelerate the healing process following the death of his wife, Heather, sounds a little trite but Clarke is better for his participation in the Ryder Cup: "I got myself through the week and have done that pretty well. I'll get myself through next week and then the week after that and after that. That's what I'll keep on doing and at some stage I'll be alright. There was never a moment when I thought, 'I can't get through it.'

"You can't play professional (golf) if you're not reasonably strong. I don't profess to be the strongest but it's the job, it's part of what we do. I don't know if it's made me stronger or not. But it was certainly something that I wasn't really looking forward to but it was something I had to do.

"We all have to do things at times we don't want to. I didn't know if he (Ian Woosnam) was going to pick me; it was a tough call for him. He didn't know how I would play. He could have said I don't want to put him through this with Heather passing away so recently, but he did.

"Thankfully, he did and I'm proud to have been here this week. Ian made an awful lot of good decisions. He's one of the big five, one of the best players we've produced in Europe and because of that he commands and deserves respect. Nick (Faldo) will do things slightly differently to Woosie, but he will do a great job. The basis of this team will be in Valhalla."

Clarke heads for the Grove in London this week and the American Express Championship, where he'll be joined by all his team-mates with the exception of Paul McGinley. But first there is an important function to attend: "I have Conor's birthday party tomorrow so I've no interest in going around a golf course on that day. He knows he is having one; he doesn't know how big it is but he'll have a nice time I hope."

The final word of the 2006 Ryder Cup at The K Club should go to Sergio Garcia, Europe's human dynamo. He has played on the last three winning teams but maintained the most recent was the best.

"All of them have been great. This week, with the Irish crowd, the way they cheered for us, it's something that I've never heard before."