Lowry victory - Magnificent performance

Shane LOWRY, 22, certainly helped to raise the spirit of the nation yesterday with his magnificent performance in winning the Irish Open Golf Championship at Baltray.

Older people will remember how Ronnie Delany lifted the gloom in the midst of the recession in 1956 by winning a gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics, and how Stephen Roche lifted spirits during the dark days of the 1980s with his cycling exploits on the Continent, especially in the Tour de France.

As Taoiseach Charles Haughey famously shared in the celebrations in Paris, Taoiseach Brian Cowen had the honour yesterday of presenting the trophy to his fellow countyman, Shane Lowry, whose achievements must rank among the greatest ever by an Irish sportsman.