Neil Manchip Interview: Chipping in with the quiet and wise word

Neil Manchip almost made it as an elite pro golfer but found his calling as a coach and has inspired Ireland’s rise as a world power in the sport. He is in Augusta this week, as Shane Lowry’s coach. But he doesn’t like to describe their relationship that way...

There’s a big reason why Joe Schmidt and his national team base themselves so often in Carton House, and for at least one weekend this summer the likes of Brian Cody and Mickey Harte will also bring their panels to this parkland retreat on the outskirts of Maynooth.

Not only does it provide high-performance facilities but privacy. Here you can work away on training pitches whose dimensions and surface replicate those of the Aviva and Croke Park, only they’re bordered by green trees or netting of that colour.