Harrington on song as win brightens dull summer

IT WAS Sunday night at Doneraile Golf Club, the affable Peter Hogan’s President’s prize-giving ceremony done and dusted (The Griff had picked up his usual piece of glass, Denis ‘Dinny’ Cole in the winner’s enclosure once again), and Donie Cotter, a magnificent one-man rock orchestra, was giving it Galtee.

In the normal scheme of things most of the attention would have been on Donie, on the dancing, on the partying, with the usual few suspects belly up to the bar discussing shots lost and shots made during their round, arguing the toss over the football and hurling matches that day in Croke Park (and I confess, yes, I’d be among the latter).

But this was not a normal night, and up at the bandstand, Donie was getting antsy; he’s not a golf fan, is Donie, couldn’t understand why his best efforts (and they were hot) were being ignored by most of the men on the premises, and a good proportion of the women.