Monkstown Golf Club honours popular members Jim Long and Greg Barrett
Jim Long, President Golf Ireland and Greg Barrett, President IRFU pictured with Monkstown Officers Jane O'Hagan, Martin Walsh and Anthony O'Sullivan after they received a presentation from the club. Picture: Niall O'Shea
MONKSTOWN had a special celebration last week when they honoured two longstanding members.
Jim Long and Greg Barrett are members who are both serving as president of national sporting bodies. Long is Golf Ireland President while Barrett was recently appointed as President of the IRFU. Both have distinguished records when it comes to supporting their sports from the administrative side.
Long was involved at a provincial level for over two decades, holding delegate and officer positions on the Munster Branch of the Golfing Union of Ireland. He was elected Chairman of the Munster Branch in 2016 and became the Chair of the Munster Regional Executive in 2021 after Golf Ireland was established. A past captain of Monkstown, Jim was delighted with the honour from his home club.
“It’s been a great privilege for me to represent Monkstown in various Golf Ireland and GUI roles over the years,” said Long after receiving the presentation. “I was thinking back to some of the aspects of volunteerism and why I got involved. I remember John Barry when he was Captain back in 1988 rang me one day and asked me if I’d get involved with the juniors.
"And I think it’s really from there when I saw the people that were involved in Monkstown over the years and the enjoyment I got from it.
"From the involvement in junior golf to refereeing and meeting people who are so proud of their own golf courses and golf clubs.
“I’ve met so many people in Monkstown who were occupying voluntary positions, where would we be without volunteers in sport, whether it’s golf or rugby or whatever sport and Monkstown is no different. That really encouraged me to get involved with the GUI as it was then and Golf Ireland now.
"It’s a great source of pride and honour to represent Monkstown both nationally and internationally. Once people you meet get beyond talking about the weather the next thing they’ll ask is ‘where do you play’.
"And I’m absolutely delighted to say Monkstown Golf Club.”
Greg Barrett was equally grateful for the recognition from his club, while he will have a busy two months ahead with the Rugby World Cup.
"I am deeply grateful to the members of my club Monkstown for honouring me with the wonderful reception,” said Barrett. "It’s exciting and humbling in equal measure. I’m extremely proud to have been a member of this club for 33 years and will be forever grateful to Donal P McCarthy for his nomination when he became President in 1990.
Great has a rich legacy on and off the rugby pitch. As well as holding the position of President and Chairman of Cork Constitution, Barrett also captained Con, and he played centre for Munster in their famous win over New Zealand in 1978.
While he’s looking forward to a busy 10 months with Irish Rugby, he’s also ready for when he’ll be back on the fairways in Monkstown.
“The club has made enormous progress in recent times and I’m looking forward to having a bit more time for golf and playing with my wife Lorna who has been a member here for 15 years. When my term comes to an end I intend to spend a lot of time here."
Monkstown Captain Anthony O’Sullivan was delighted to mark the occasion for both Greg and Jim and took the opportunity to thank them and other club volunteers for their work and commitment.
“Every club requires volunteers to exist and carry on its day-to-day operations and everyone who does that is greatly appreciated. To go from there to help run a sporting body at regional or provincial and above that again at national level shows a commitment to the development of the sport and deserves great credit.
"We’re very lucky in Monkstown to have Mary Bergin on the Munster Regional Executive, Michael Collopy who is Chair of the IRFU Marketing and Commercial committee and Ada O’Sullivan who a member of The Open Championships Committee for the R&A.”
Monkstown President Martin Walsh was the driving force behind the event and he’s very upbeat about the current state of the club.
“We really are enjoying a resurgence in Monkstown Golf Club and it’s great to be a part of it” said Walsh. “We’ve had success in the last couple of weeks and we’re looking forward to two All-Ireland quarter-finals in the coming weeks. We’ve had disappointment losing some Munster finals but overall the playing here has improved dramatically, and the yellow buzz is everywhere.”
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