Faldo finally swings it ... links get the green light

IT has all the ingredients of a Hollywood blockbuster.

The saga which surrounded the attempts of Nick Faldo to build a championship golf links on an idyllic 367-acre island off the Mayo coast has been in and out of the news over the last six years.

As far back as 1998, it looked as if the deal was signed, sealed and delivered. But, for reasons which were finally settled in the High Court yesterday, the ambitious project is only now getting the go-ahead.