Marbella promenade
instituted, playing first in Phoenix Park before moving
to Bull Island in 1889. It gives you an idea of how quickly
the island was formed. Two years after that the club
received its Royal designation. Royal Dublin had found
its final home on what is now the Bull Island Nature
Reserve, less than 20 minutes from Dublin city centre.
In 1920, Harry Colt arrived to design a traditional
links… and what he created has been receiving plaudits
ever since. That sense of tradition is ably assisted
by the striking red and white clubhouse that lies at
the southern tip of the island. It was opened by the
Taoiseach, John Costello, in 1953.
It is difficult, given such a long and rich history, to
highlight just two luminaries of the club. There are
those who founded it (the Scot, John Lumsden, in
particular), those who designed it (Harry Colt, with
revisions by Martin Hawtree in the 1990s) but the
legends belong to Michael (Dyke) Moran and Christy
O’Connor Senior. Identifying these two golfing greats
is made easier by plaques dedicated to them on the
golf course. The first appears on the gentle dogleg
3rd, which uses an old cottage as part of the fairway.
You have to wonder how many times it has deflected
balls towards the green. The plaque is on one wall.
Michael “Dyke” Moran was born in this small one-
roomed cottage in 1886, before the golf course existed.
Twenty three years later, in 1909, he was Royal Dublin’s
playing professional when he won the first of his Irish
Professional Championships. He went on to win it
for the next four years, a feat which has never been
equalled. During those years he also tied for third place
with Harry Vardon, in the 1913 Open Championship at
Royal Liverpool. He died in 1918, at just 32 years of age,
fighting with the Royal Irish Regiment in France.
The second legend is none other than ‘Himself’ – as
the great Christy O’Connor Senior was known. He
joined Royal Dublin in 1959 as the club professional. His
association with the club continued for 57 years and
while he won many tournaments and competed in 10
Ryder Cups, his greatest legacy must be the manner
of his 1966 Carrolls International victory, here on Bull
Island. On the 16th tee a plaque stops visitors in their
tracks. I, for one, have read it on every visit. How many
golfers can you think of who have won a tournament by
finishing the last three holes eagle (2), birdie (3), eagle (3)?
Is it any wonder he is so revered, not just by this club
but by Ireland, too.
The clubhouse is laced with history, including rooms
dedicated to Moran and O’Connor, and an essential part
of any visit must include a tour of the clubhouse. The
photographs, trophies, books – and the clubhouse itself
–are essential for anyone who wants to get a true sense
of what this club is about, as well as appreciating Irish
golf’s history.
I confess to being mightily embarrassed when I realised
my mistake about the 18th hole. It has not been a par
five in many years and today it is a brute of a 460 yard
par four. It is a right angle dogleg with out of bounds
along the right, within the elbow of the dogleg. Two very
Volume 4 • Issue 45
63