Kevin Markham discovers Irish golf clubs embracing the magic of the Masters.

She always thought of golf clubs as a place for the boys. So when the team behind the Irish Open offered Ciara McDonnell a crash course, she accepted – to see if the boys’ club was no more.

The Island’s Kevin LeBlanc is determined to prove the doubters wrong and become the youngest West of Ireland champion since Rory McIlroy.

‘Blondes or brunettes?’ It’s not something you get asked every day at a golf course, especially by the general manager, but Mike Corry’s question referred to links and parklands, not the fairer sex.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly — the countdown to Christmas is officially on.

A five-star hotel, opened by then-taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 2008, which was developed at a cost of €70m, is now priced for sale at €13m.

The Rochestown footballers are excused from their final three classes on Wednesday afternoon.

Fota Island Resort is in the market to welcome back the Irish Open to Cork "in the not too distant future", as the city and county prepares to bid for a number of spectacular international sporting events on the back of a successful staging of the European Tour event.

There’s so much to do in the run up to Christmas, it can be hard to decide how to make the most of the festive fun. Take some tips from Ellie O’Byrne.

The dual return of a prestigious sporting event and hotel, allied to the continued pursuit of culinary perfection were the driving forces behind the success of the Cork Business Awards quarterly winners.

Today more than 4,000 of us will pass through Fota Wildlife Park’s gates. Yet we know very little of what goes on behind the scenes.

Fota Island Resort chief executive Jonathan Woods has called for more international sporting and music events to be staged in Munster following the overwhelming success of the Irish Open in Cork at the weekend.

Graeme McDowell was able to laugh over missed putts as other golfers took to Twitter to praise Fota Island, The Irish Open and the fans.

Fota Island’s massive success as an Irish Open venue is no guarantee the event will return to the Cork resort in 2016.

Pádraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell may have come up short in this year’s quest for an Irish Open victory, but both would be delighted to give it another shot at Fota Island Resort after a hugely successful week in Cork.

Risk and reward is part and parcel of the modern par-five, but when it comes to the redesigned 10th at Fota Island, the jury is out on the changes made for this year’s Irish Open.

The Irish Open has provided me with many of my very best memories from professional golf.

As the Irish Open golf championship returns to Fota Island, Dan Buckley samples one of the resort’s other highlights — the spa.

The countdown officially commenced at Fota Island Resort yesterday as former champion Shane Lowry gave his seal of approval to the 2014 Irish Open venue.

Sold at the lower end of its €4 million to €5 million price guide to a consortium, is Co Kildare’s Moyvalley hotel and golf club, with 460 acres, apartments and courtyard cottages.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn insists he’s heard only rumours about an Irish Open move to Royal County Down but wonders if it’s time there was a Northern Irish Open.

Cork’s Fota Island resort is closing in on a deal to bring the Irish Open back to Munster next June.

A second multi-million euro hotel swoop by Chinese buyers has been made on the flood-ravaged Kingsley Hotel in Cork City.

Fota Island in Cork is back in the frame to host next year’s Irish Open.

Following another exciting and competitive tournament last year, the Irish Examiner and Fota Island Resort have teamed up again to give golf societies nationwide the chance to participate in the Irish Examiner Inter Society Golf Trophy.

Bidders for the jewel in Cork’s €20m tourism crown came from India, Taiwan, the US, Europe, China, and Cork — with a Chinese family, the Kangs, yesterday coming up trumps.

The fourth richest man in China is on the brink of a €20m-plus deal to buy the prestigious Fota Island Golf and Hotel resort in Cork.

AS MORE and more Irish hotels are coming to market, the question of investor appetite raises its head.

A wealthy Thai businessman with an impressive portfolio of Asian golf properties is one of the favourites to become the new owner of the prestigious Fota Island Resort in Cork, with a sale expected to go through this month.

Exactly a week after Steve Redmond’s Oceans Seven world-record feat the country’s swimming fraternity is in mourning after another Corkman died while crossing the English Channel.

Qualifying for a major championship would be considered a good week’s work in any golfer’s estimation but, instead of basking in his success, Elliot Saltman went out and won a tournament.

Noel Connors and Eoin Kelly are both in contention to start for Waterford in Sunday's Munster SHC semi-final against Clare at Semple Stadium.

As a member of Fota Island Golf club I found the recent article on the sale of a city land bank on behalf of Nama very disturbing.

THE MONTGOMERIE course at Carton House near Maynooth, Kildare is set to be confirmed today as the venue for next year’s Irish Open.

Thomas O’Flynn pro golfer; Danny Nickless, Operations Manager, PGA EuroPro Tour and Kevin Morris Director of Golf, Fota Island Resort all set for Audi Cork Irish Masters today in Cork.

HOTEL managers, business chiefs and politicians jetted into London yesterday with the aim of bringing millions of euro worth of business to Cork.

KILLARNEY’s resident professional Dave Keating can quote you facts until tomorrow but one really knocks your socks off.

GOLF directors at Cork’s Fota Island Resort insist it is business as usual despite the appointment of a receiver at the prestigious facility last week.

STARWOOD, the owners of the luxury Sheraton brand, and the Fota Island Corporation have agreed to go their separate ways from next month.

ALL the drama and excitement associated with the Bulmers Irish Cups and Shields came very much to the fore at Kenmare Golf Club when Nenagh and Douglas qualified for the national finals of the Jimmy Bruen and Pierce Purcell Shields.