JP McManus Pro-AM: 'Of course, you'd be a bit star-struck. You don’t see Hollywood stars here every day'
Portrait of incoming President of Irish Hotel Federation Elaina Fitzgerald Kane.
There is never such thing as a quiet summer’s day in Adare.
Even by mid-morning the car park at the rear of the village’s beautiful heritage centre is like an energised pit lane for gleaming tour buses.
Hire cars are dotted throughout the remaining spaces. Elegant visitors take leisurely strolls, their pace reset by the beauty of their sedate surrounding.
The welcome mat is permanently rolled out here and will offer an understated céad mile fáilte to the thousands who arrive here Monday to watch golf’s biggest talents - and some A-list celebrities - play in the JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor.
It is both a festival of fun and philanthropy. A calculator straining total of €140,565,878 has been raised since the first hosting in 1990 (at Limerick Golf Club before moving to its new home in 2005) and the July 4-5 renewal will add a hefty wedge to that.
Elaina Fitzgerald Kane is chairperson of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, and her family owns the Woodlands Hotel which backs onto the Manor itself. She literally has had a bird's eye view of all the Pro-Ams in Adare and sums up an incredible global gathering in one word - benevolence.
“What has been achieved by hosting the Pro-Am has been extraordinary. You can look at the golf, you can look at the celebrities and the profile it has given to Adare, Limerick and Ireland and the amazing hospitality that can be had here but really what runs ahead of all of that is the benevolence of the event.
“As a charitable foundation, what it has achieved and what it has supported since the very first Pro-Am is extraordinary. The most recent one which was 12 years ago was in and around the €40 million mark in terms of the monies that were raised. How that is translated on the ground in terms of local charities is incredible.
“And there is a very good matched funding approach there as well so yes there is great kudos to JP McManus, the McManus family and the extended team for putting that commitment there. It is not just about the golf - for me it is the benevolence that goes with it.”
Maeve Martin Kelly (who retired from her role as General Manager of the Adare Heritage Centre last week) admits it is impossible to quantify the impact of the event on the village.
“In 2010 when all of us saw Adare feature on social media during and after the Pro-Am, we were bursting with pride to see our village up there with the best of them.
“The excitement was palpable. We had all these celebrities going around, and we were delighted and so proud. Adare is extremely busy anyway with tourists so it all adds to the excitement. We are so grateful that JP McManus has bought the property and hosting the event. The Manor and the Pro-Am puts Adare on an international platform.
“Adare is well known domestically as a tourist destination - however, the Pro-Am elevated us all up onto a different stage and now we are seen worldwide as a destination. That has come through since 2010. The village has extended its shops and restaurant choices but importantly it still holds onto the sense of community and togetherness you’d associate with a village.”
Adds Mrs Fitzgerald Kane: “That togetherness has always been here at a community level in Adare. We are small enough in that we all have to support each other. “There is a great commitment that people that come here have the best experiences and that is evident across the village. Here in Adare we are blessed to have such a close-knit community and can-do spirit.”
Olive Murphy from Isobel’s boutique on Adare’s main street knows exactly what to expect having been behind the counter when the Pro-Am last rolled into town. And already the signs are there that this year’s event will be bigger and grander than anything before.
“There is a great build up. There is a big gala dinner in advance of the Pro-Am so we have dressed a lot of people for that already. The buzz has started here before people (the golfers and celebs) have even arrived. Then when they do arrive, JP is giving all the wives and girlfriends a voucher to spend in the village. So whatever they spend, a percentage of that money then goes back to charity and the shops where the voucher was used then get to pick their own charities. Twelve years ago, it was very exciting, the streets were full. This shop alone had a lot of celebrities in it - Catherine Zeta-Jones being one of them. Of course, you would be a bit star-struck. You don’t see Hollywood stars here every day!”
Up at the top end of the town, the painters are working their magic touching up the front of Bill Chawke’s, a famous Adare watering hole since 1846.
A stride inside the front door and the venue’s sporting passions are on display: Limerick hurling memorabilia dot the walls while the televisions are tuned to Sky Sports Golf.
A little further inside and three large cardboard cutouts of Shane Lowry, Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley are propped up across from the main bar.
General Manager Alan Fitzpatrick makes no secret of the home town hero in these parts.
“We are looking forward to seeing our old mate Shane here - Shane is a regular visitor to our pub. Anytime he is passing to play in the Manor or down in Kerry, he always stops in to say hello. I was here for the last Pro-Am and it was absolutely bonkers. It was great fun. You could meet anyone on the streets whether they were from Hollywood or a mile out the road.
“The Manor itself is a special place and they have done massive work up there. It is a piece of heaven.”
And golf isn’t the only reason that Fitzpatrick is counting down to the start of July. He laughs: “The Limerick hurlers are playing on Sunday against Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final and it has the making of a fantastic weekend with the Pro-Am then on the Monday and Tuesday. A rising tide lifts many boats and we are all in great spirits and looking forward to welcoming everyone to Adare.”
