Union Golf Classic
We are delighted to announce the return of our Annual Golfing event, held this year in the beautiful surrounds of Cahir Golf club. Join fellow Rockwellians in one of our most anticipated yearly gatherings, and excellent socialising to be had at Rockwell for the 100 year celebration.
The Competition
The competition will be held in Cahir on Saturday May 3rd with tee-times ranging from 10am to 12 noon. The competition will be run on an individual basis. The competition is not restricted to past-pupils, and we would encourage you to bring along your friends, acquaintances, and golfing buddies.
Tickets for both the competition can be purchased at the link below. We would encourage you all to book your place at the earliest convenience! BOOK HERE
Competition History
In light of the continued success of the competition, we have taken the opportunity to present a brief history of the competition, and the important role it occupies in the broader fabric of Rockwell’s history. The annual tournament is an expression of Rockwell’s continued commitment to the sport of golf, which has been a particular point of pride during our history. We have been fortunate to have possessed, until very recently, an on-campus golf course, which has been the source of a significant sporting spirit in the college, and which has allowed us to turn out a consistently high grade of players. That so many have taken the opportunity to return each year to play with their fellow colleagues is strong testament to this fact.
A Brief History of Rockwell Golfing
Golf has long been a part of Rockwell’s legacy, with a great number of our former students going on to excel at the highest levels in the sport. That Rockwell can claim to be the only school in Ireland that has produced not one, but two members of the Walker Cup team, is something we take immense pride in. In 1963 Dr. David Sheahan (Class of 1958) was chosen to represent Britain and Ireland against the US in the biennial contest played between the best amateurs in the world. Sheahan incredibly won a professional European Tour event - the 1961 Jeyes Open. Only three others have emulated that feat - Pablo Martin, Danny Lee and Shane Lowry - and none of them were medical students at the time of their victory! Only twenty years later another Rockwellian, Arthur Pierse (1971), would go on to compete in the Walker cup. We are very fortunate today to retain a memento of this great occasion, as Arthur’s Cup Jacket is currently displayed prominently upon school grounds. Of course, Rockwell’s golfing excellence extended beyond the Walker Cup. Indeed, in the same year as Arthur Pierse’s great achievement, a team composed of current Doonbeg golfing professional Brian Shaw (1983), Declan McInerney (1984) and Tony McCarthy (1983), under the expert guidance of Fr. J.C Ryan, would carry the college to victory in the Aer Lingus Irish Schools Golf Championship.
The Annual Tournament
In light of the above, it should be no surprise that the Union would find its own expression of Rockwellian Golfing Passion. In 1950 a trophy was presented to us by Willie O’Neill (Class of 1935, Union President 1960-62) for the purposes of an Annual Event. The first event, held that year and won by Willie himself, would serve as the template for a competition that has endured for 55 years. It would be remiss to neglect to mention the Union staff that have so ably managed this crucial event over the years, and to whom both the Union and the Rockwell Community owe a great debt. While Willie would ensure the smooth running of the event for its debut years, it would later be managed by a number of esteemed former members, with special credit to Jim Peters, Kevin Prendergast (1957), and more recently Domhnall Blair (1961). It was the students of this period, the 1950s and 60s, that were instrumental in the early years of the tournament, and in the resurgence of the tournament in 2014. For in the early 2000s, the trophy itself would go missing, and would not be contested again until the 2014 competition, where it re-established itself as a prominent character in the Rockwell calendar. The trophy's inscription serves as a record of many stalwarts and characters from the College and Union's history - Willie O’Neill, Jim Peters (1945), Gay Mangan (1959), Matt O’Mahony (1961), the Hill brothers, Landy (1965) and Charlie (1963), Vinnie Daly (1956) and the aforementioned Fr J.C. Ryan
Many Thanks to John Riordan (class of 1984) for this article above.
Roll of Honour
1950 - W.J. O’Neill
1951 - D. Stapleton
1952 - E.C Powell
1953 - W.N. Fitzgerald
1954 - L.F. Kiely
1955 - N. McNamara
1956 - L.F. Kiely
1957 -
1958 - E.J. Dillon
1959 - M. O’Sullivan
1960 - R. Foley
1961 - F. Blair
1962 - J.G. Lyons
1963 - Rev J.O’Mahony
1964 - W.J. O’Neill
1965 - P. Horgan
1966 - Rev J.O’Donoghue
1967 - Rev J. O’Mahony
1968 - Michael Burke
1969 - Richard Ryan
1970 - Eddie O'Neill
1971 - Rev J.C. Ryan
1972 - Oliver Synott
1973 - A.Pierse
1974 - M. O'Mahony
1975 - A. O'Dwyer
1976 - P. O’Dwyer
1977 - F. Blair
1978 - M O’Sullivan
1979 - M.B. Foley
1980 - A.J. Taylor
1981 - J. King
1982 - E.J. Butler
1983 - P.D. Gately
1984 - J.V. Daly
1985 - Austin O'Brien
1986 - J.M. Peters
1987 - J.M. Peters
1988 - M. O'Mahony
1989 - Rev Mi. Smyth
1990 -
1991 - P.T. Hourihan
1992 - Landy Hill
1993 - Gay Mangan
1994 - Charlie Hill
1995 - Landy Hill
1996 - J.M. Peters
1997 - E.J. Teehan
1998 - Billy Irwin
1999 - Morgan Lyons
2000 - Gerry O'Brien
2001 John Irwin
2002 - Frank O'Leary
2003 - Frank O’Leary
2004-
2013-
2014 - Billy Lee
2015 - Peter Clerkin
2016 - Brian MacGoey
2017 - Brian MacGoey
Multiple Winners times
(1 winner) - J.M. Peters (1986, 1987 and 1996)
Twice - (8 winners) W.J O’Neill (1950, 1964), L.F Kiely (1954, 1956), F. Blair (1961, 1977) Rev J. O’Mahony (1963, 1967), M. O’Mahony (1974, 1988). Landy Hill (1992, 1995), Frank O’Leary (2002, 2003) and Brian MacGoey (2016, 2017)