Milestone All-Ireland victory sends Athlone golf club into celebratory mode

Athlone Golf Club is in celebratory mode after winning its first All-Ireland title for 67 years at Millicent in Dublin.

The club, established in 1892, claimed the AIG Men’s Junior Cup last Friday – a feat made all the more remarkable through the contributions of two local teenagers, Taylor Kelly (13) and Cian Mannion (15). The team was captained by the vastly experienced Marc Butler with Declan Hynes and Rod Tierney as team managers. Club president Tommy Reilly was also a key figure in the backroom team.

Athlone defeated Royal Curragh in the quarter-finals last Thursday before seeing off Clontarf in the last four. In the final, against Tramore, Butler won 5&3 in the first match, laying the platform for Shane Kelly and Jed Moylette to secure the crown with victories in their individual matches.

Speaking to Golf Ireland after the famous win, captain Marc Butler said: “I’m over the moon, I can’t believe it’s happened. A really good team and it’s come from five years of work at junior level, a couple of young lads on the team this year, and hopefully it’s the start of something not just a once-off. It’s been 67 years since we’ve won a green pennant, this is outrageous. Our club has been asleep.”