DESPITE all the stuff we hear about the laughing Irish, the upbeat Irish, the positive Irish, it never ceases to amaze me how little appreciation we really have in this country for ourselves, for our own, for what we have.

The JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am, featuring the world’s top golfers, will take place at the Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort on July 5 and 6, 2005, it has been confirmed.