IWIN’s Annual Golf Day at Carton House
The Irish Wood & Interiors Network’s Annual Golf Day recently took place at the beautiful Carton House in Maynooth.
Liam McCool, director of Golf at Carton House alongside IWIN manager, Gareth Sherry
With over 60 attendees, 50 brave golfers, and a dozen teams fuelled by ambition, caffeine, and questionable warm-up routines, the day got off to a cracking start with a shotgun tee-off.
The course was in superb condition – lush fairways, slick greens, and more sand than the Sahara to navigate around. Thankfully, the sun made a rare but very welcome appearance, but the wind was treacherous and didn’t help any wayward slice.
From left: Eoin Ryan of the Galtee Group, the legendary Jack O’Connor, and Alan O’Grady from Western Postform
A big shout-out to Director of Golf, Liam McCool, and his brilliant team at Carton House who looked after us from first tee to final burger – top class from start to finish.
The winning team on the day featured none other than Kerry’s Jack O’Connor and Dick Clerkin from Clerkin Consulting, Eoin Ryan of the Galtee Group, and Alan O’Grady from Western Postform, who posted a mighty 102 points.
Jack O’Connor with Stuart Malcolm, DDC Fitout
Honourable mention goes to the lads from OVVO, who finished just behind on 99 points. They argued (loudly and often) that given their combined age of over 300, they deserved a special “veteran’s advantage” trophy or at least a cup of tea and a sit-down. Appeals are still pending.
Individual honours went to Stuart Malcolm for best gross score, while Alan O’Grady picked up best net for the second year in a row. Suspicious? Maybe. The handicap committee has been notified and is currently reviewing drone footage.
Jack had the whole room engaged with great behind-the-scenes stories
After the golf, everyone tucked into a well-earned barbecue at the club’s restaurant – burgers, banter, and maybe a few post-round excuses flying around the table. The evening was capped off with a fireside chat featuring the legendary Jack O’Connor.
Jack shared some brilliant insights into the madness of managing Kerry football – a job he’s been juggling (with medals to show for it) since the ‘90s.
From left: Stuart Malcolm, Dennis Lenihan (W Howard), and David Staunton (Staunton Accountants)
He talked about the pressure of keeping Kerry fans happy, the joys of managing a backroom team the size of a small village, and confirmed he’s not hanging up the bainisteoir bib just yet – he’s fully committed for another two years.
From left: Eoin Ryan, Jack O'Connor and Alan O'Grady
There were plenty of laughs too, as Jack offered up some great behind-the-scenes stories (none of which we’re allowed to repeat in print), and the Q&A session had the whole room engaged – especially the lad who asked if Jack would consider running for president.
We sincerely thank Jack for giving up his time, and all our members for making the day such a success. Roll on next year – bigger, better, and with even more dodgy handicaps and tall tales.
