AVERY impressive Gillingtons style c1820 mahogany dining table at the James Adam house contents sale at Courtown House, Kilcock, Co Kildare, next Wednesday at 11am can be traced back to the original Courtown House contents auction in 1963.

He’s had what Munster veterans like to call the odd ‘brain fart’, but Conor Murray has gone from a wet-behind-the-ears wannabe to Lions scrum-half in no time.

Casteltroy go into today’s AIG Junior Cup semi-finals at Carton House knowing there is extra pressure to succeed for the first time since 1972.

Munster Barton Shield and Junior Cup finals

Terence Dooley

THE thousands who turned up at Fota Island yesterday and will continue to do so in their tens of thousands over the next three days want to see nothing more than an Irish champion.

Bad weather and the loss of five of your six headline stars before the weekend would be enough to cripple most tour events.

The title sponsor that Pádraig Harrington says he has up his sleeve, and anyone who may be contemplating pumping millions into the Irish Open prize fund, will not have been enthused by the leaderboard in Maynooth yesterday.

The question to Conor Mallaghan, owner/director of Carton House was simple and straightforward.

The European Tour invested €50,000 on grandstands at the par three 17th at Carton House aimed at creating a unique atmosphere similar to that famously prevailing at the 17th at the Phoenix Open on the US circuit for many years.

This country has produced many of the game’s finest but for reasons not always easy to fathom, their record at the Irish Open is a long way short of what might have been expected.

Waterford Castle amateur Kevin Phelan is ready to give a US Open encore in this week’s Irish Open in Kildare.

Wexford 0-15 Dublin 3-19, Wexford Park

Former champion Shane Lowry believes playing this year’s Irish Open on home ground at Carton House can help him regain the European Tour title he first won as an amateur four years ago.

THE Aviva Stadium is the focal point of Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations campaign as they host both England and France, in Dublin 4, over the next few weeks, but Carton House, 30 kilometres west of Lansdowne Road, is the players’ home for the championship.

Gary Hurley and Geoff Lenehan carried their senior interpro-winning form with Munster into the international arena, being the only Irishmen to go under par on the opening day of the European Amateur Championships at Carton House yesterday.

Rathmore’s Alan Dunbar leads a strong Irish contingent looking to score a home victory against a stacked international field at Carton House this week for the International European Amateur Championship.

Whatever about the long-awaited return to Royal Portrush for the 2012 Irish Open, Carton House director of golf Francis Howley is already gearing up for the 2013 tournament.

PLANS to bring the Diaspora home for ‘The Gathering’ festival to boost the Irish economy in 2013 have helped to send the Irish Open north of the border this summer.

THE RETURN of the Irish Open this year to Royal Portrush will act as a dry run for bringing the British Open Championship to the Dunluce links at the famed Antrim links in the future.

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

HAVING visited Carton House in recent weeks, where the Ireland rugby team has been stationed for its pre-World Cup training, I can say this.

IRELAND hooker Jerry Flannery last night expressed confidence he will win his injury battle ahead of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

WHEN Rory McIlroy created global headlines by winning the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, few could have imagined he would be without a tournament success 12 months later.

Three players sharing the lead after the opening round of the Irish Boys Amateur Close Championship at Bangor Golf Club today.

ALL over Ireland this week, there will be youngsters begging lifts to the nearest golf course in the hope of emulating Pádraig Harrington, and the British Open champion’s own alma mater in Stackstown will be among the busiest hives of activity.

Pádraig Harrington did not hesitate when the inevitable question was asked: Is the Irish Open the title you would most like to win on the European Tour? In one word came a very definite response: YES.

ERNIE ELS is one of the world’s busiest golfers, otherwise he swears he would have seen the site of his new course at Hangmans Point near Kinsale long before now.

TIME was when the Irish Open was dominated by the superstars of the game ... Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Jose-Maria Olazabal, all major championship winners, Colin Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia, two of the game’s finest ever players.

NOT since Carnoustie dominated the headlines before, during and after the 1999 British Open has a tournament venue generated such debate as Colin Montgomerie's Carton House in the build-up to this year's Nissan Irish Open.

STEPHEN BROWNE became the 21st Irishman in the Nissan Irish Open field after a late call up last night.

NO doubt the glorious sunshine had a part to play but Carton House looked an absolute picture yesterday as the stars assembled for the Nissan Irish Open, which starts tomorrow.

IT has to happen sometime. That’s invariably the answer any time you query whether an Irishman will ever again capture his native Open Championship.

Charlie Mulqueen

WITH so many of their top players turning their sights towards the US Tour with all its wealth and perks, the European Tour is finding it increasingly difficult to put fields together that will attract serious public interest.

CRAIG SMITH, a 6 foot 7 inch tall, 23 year-old from Cardiff, became the third overseas winner of the AIB Irish Amateur Open Championship since the event was revived in 1995 by mounting a highly impressive rearguard action over the Montgomerie course at Carton House, Co Kildare.

THE venue promises to be at least as interesting as the golf itself when the AIB Irish Amateur Open Championship gets under way over the brand new Montgomerie course at Carton House near Maynooth, Co Kildare this morning.

THE Golfing Union of Ireland’s plans to move its headquarters from Glencar House in Dublin to a state of the art centre at Carton House, in Maynooth, were outlined by president elect Albert Lee at last night’s meeting of Munster Branch delegates in Mallow.

Charlie Mulqueen visits the new Colin Montgomerie creation at Carton House, near Maynooth.