Patsy’s pride in a little piece of golf heaven

Storm Christine had just caused damages of an estimated €70 million on the Atlantic seaboard, the third green and half its fairway were completely under water, the world-renowned nine-hole treasure was on the brink.

The history of golf in the area dates way back to the summer of 1897 and located between Clew Bay and Blacksod Bay it presented a serene outlet for a blissful links – locals coined it the Pebble Beach of Mayo.

However by February 2014 the landscape had shifted, waves bashed against the land, debris lodged on the course. As a result the third fairway all the way to the seventh tee box looked to be in ruin.

“We were worried about the future of the club,” said former club secretary Patsy Noone.

“You could only see the tip of the flag on the third green. It had come in and covered the course. At the low point on the course there was six or seven feet of water.

“We could have lost it all.” Noone is now the president of the club, he had just taken up volunteering in Mulranny when Storm Christine hit, and he rolled up his sleeves in a bid to help out. But it required funding too and a Golf Ireland ten-year loan helped get the project up and running.

The locals had thought the flood defences that had been installed to prevent a return of the flooding they saw in the early 1990s, when they spent £30,000, would be enough to copper-fasten the club’s future but now they had to raise them all over again.

There was 800 yards of coastline left vulnerable to future storms before the recovery work kicked into gear.

“We had to get pumps to pump the water out for a few weeks,” said Noone.

“And then we put in a drain, a non-returning valve out at the coastline. So now if there is water out on the course, when the tide is out the valve will open and allow it to go out. The valve will close then when the tide comes back in to the coastline.” It is a simple system that has worked brilliant over the intervening decade and allowed Mulranny to return to the prestige it once held.

Once voted the 16th best nine hole golf course in the world, the links at the foot of the Nephin Mountains plays host to golfers, sheep, horses and donkeys, while the unique barbed wire fences that enclose the greens are another feature.

Noone is from Hollymount, around an hour away, while he lives in Castlebar, but he has become a linchpin of the club.

“I would have been secretary back then, I was a younger person, I was more hands-on,” said Noone.

“This club is very important for the village. We get great support from the outlying areas but we got it back because there was a huge clean-up, a lot of debris had come in.” Noone is a former principal at Davitt College, the Castlebar secondary school which celebrated 40 years last year.

He was involved with basketball throughout the years but like most sport in Mayo, GAA took much of the attentions of the youngsters coming through the ranks. Eventually All-Star Alan Dillon and twice Young Footballer of the Year Diarmuid O’Connor would wear the Green and Red.

Noone has intrinsic links to Castlebar Mitchels where he was part of their Bord na nOg, and there too he watched some stars of the future emerge and go on to greater things.

And while Mayo continue their elusive quest for Sam Maguire, he believes the winner could come from elsewhere again in 2024.

“If they get six points in the league, they should settle for that. The championship starts up too soon anyway,” said Noone.

“I would predict Kerry and Derry will be there. Derry have some fine players provided Mickey Harte doesn’t overplay them. You can’t be out every week.” Meanwhile, Noone will be devoting his time to Mulranny week in week out again this year, where he was secretary for the last 11 years before he took over as president.

Mulranny were unlucky to lose out in the Fred Perry last year and he dreams of a day that they will be top trumps in the region.

“It would mean a lot to win Connacht. We lost two Fred Perry competitions, both to Connemara Isles and they won the All-Ireland last year,” said Noone.

“I have been managing that team in the last few years and I get great enjoyment out of that because they are a very good group.”

His wonderful dedication to Mulranny was recognised recently when he was awarded with the Connacht Club Volunteer of the Year.

He is excited about the future, one that never seemed possible, and as Mulranny look to improve their facilities, plans are afoot for a new clubhouse too.

“We were gifted a portion of land recently which we now own. We have plans to build a new clubhouse and develop an academy,” said Noone.

“It’s great and I was very surprised that I was nominated for the award because there were other people who were doing a lot of work in Mulranny. It was an honour and I was delighted to receive the reward from a Mayo man who won an All-Ireland with Galway, Jimmy Duggan. That was a nice touch.

“It was good for the club, it’s not just me. It’s all the people who work in Mulranny as volunteers. There is very little paid help there. It is nearly run by volunteers in all areas of the club.”