Killarney’s Irish Open ‘blessing’

ALTHOUGH the loss of the event would come as a considerable blow to local tourism interests, financial controllers at Killarney Golf andFishing Club are likely to take some consolation from the fact that the lakeshore facility stands to save up to €100,000 if the 2012 Irish Open is switched from Kerry to a Dublin venue.

Club directors, who responded positively when officially asked if they were interested in hosting the event for a third successive year, were upset to learn it is now extremely unlikely it will return to the acclaimed Killeen course.

But some senior officials within the club believe the expected loss of the event might be a financial blessing, given that the cost of hosting the event – which topped €80,000 this year – might no longer be sustainable.