Volume 15 | December 29th 2021
Greetings!

As our Centenary Year is almost at an end, and this is my last Centenary Newsletter, it seems a fitting time to extend my sincere thanks to a number of people.

Firstly, I would like to thank our Past President Therese Mc Cormack for asking me to be our Centenary Coordinator, it was indeed a great honour. I would also like to thank Jim Whelan for all of his help and support throughout the year.

I would like to extend huge thanks to all of our Sponsors (see full list further down in this newsletter). Without their generosity we would not have been able to achieve all that we did this year.

Thanks also to my fellow Council and Committee and Sub Committee Members for all of their help and encouragement throughout the year. I would like to thank Roger, Bill, James, Cristian, Stephen and all of the staff of St. Anne’s for their professionalism, help and assistance with the various events that took place over the year.

Finally, I would like to thank you, our esteemed members for the unwavering support you show for our wonderful club. It is indeed this Spirit of St. Anne’s that has brought us to this day when we can look back at all this club has achieved over the past 100 years. We may not have won a lot of pennants for golf over the past few years but if they were awarding pennants for loyalty and friendship, we would have to erect a new wall to hang all of them. May this Spirit of St Anne's carry us successfully through another 100 years on the Bull Island.

Happy Christmas Everyone and have a wonderful year of golf in 2022.

Audrey Headon
Centenary Coordinator. 
ST. ANNE’S GOLF CLUB
As you know for the past 11 months, we interviewed various different members of the club and asked them to share their memories with us. All of these interviews can viewed on our club website under the heading Club Centenary 2021 and then click on Centenary Newsletter.

Our thanks again to all those that took part in these monthly interviews.

In this our final Centenary Newsletter, we decided to ask a number of our members and staff what it is about St. Anne’s G.C. that they love.

Thank you to all those that agreed to be recorded last Friday and Sunday whilst they were in the club (I know most of you weren’t really given a choice!).



Our thanks for Matthew Walsh for editing this video
CENTENARY TIME CAPSULE

On Friday 10th December our Centenary Time Capsule was buried behind the Centenary Stone.
It is hoped that at some stage in the future when this is dug up it will give those that lift it a snap shot of what St. Anne’s G.C. was like in the year 2021.

The following items were put into the Time Capsule:

  1. CENTENARY GOLF BALL
  2. CENTENARY BALL MARKER
  3. GOLF TEES
  4. CENTENARY BEER MAT
  5. CENTENARY FACE MASK
  6. CENTENARY BOW TIE
  7. DIGITAL COPY OF ALL OF OUR CENTENARY INTERVIEWS THAT WERE SENT OUT TO MEMBERS EACH MONTH IN OUR CENTENARY NEWSLETTER.
  8. DIGITAL COPY OF OUR CENTENARY BOOK WHICH WAS PRODUCED IN HARD COPY AND GIVEN AS A GIFT TO ALL MEMBERS.
  9. CENTENARY BAG TAG
  10. COPY OF THE IRISH TIMES 10/12/2021
  11. PHOTOGRAPH OF OUR CENTENARY CAPTAINS JULIE MERREY AND LEO “GEORGE” DEVITT
  12. TICKET FOR THE LADY CAPTAINS DINNER AND THE NOTIFICATION OF ITS CANCELLATION DUE TO RISING COVID NUMBERS.
  13. DIGITAL EDITED PICTORIAL VERSION OF THE YEAR LONG CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
  14. DIGITAL VISUAL HISTORY OF THE CLUB – PRODUCED BY CENTENARY CAPTAIN LEO “GEORGE”
  15. DRONE FOOTAGE OF ST. ANNES GOLF CLUB - TAKEN BY CLUB MEMBER JIM MAGUIRE
  16. COPY OF THE CURRENT WINE LIST FROM THE BAR
  17. ONE OF THE CENTENARY FLAGS WHICH WERE USED ON THE GREENS
  18. A FEW EXAMPLES OF COVID SINGAGE WHICH WERE USED AROUND THE CLUBHOUSE DURING THE YEAR.

This list will be exhibited in the Centenary Room and it will also explain where the Time Capsule is buried.
Present at the burial of the Time Capsule were Dick O Riordan, Girls Junior Captain Emma McHugh, Boys Junior Captain Daniel Murray, Past Captain Leo “George” Devitt, Past Lady Captain Julie Merrey, President Damian Murran, Lady Captain Yvonne Keavney, Captain Noel Minogue and Centenary Coordinator Audrey Headon.
Burying the capsule
CENTENARY YEAR SPONSORS
We are very grateful to all of the below individuals and businesses who very generously sponsored us during our Centenary Year.

Tee Box Sponsors
 
Hole 1. McHugh Family
Hole 2. Searing Point Chartered Accountants
Hole 3. PWC
Hole 4. Supervalu
Hole 5. Peter Mark
Hole 6. Chris O’Sullivan, Stephen and Catherine Colman
Hole 7. Michael Grant Motors
Hole 8. Wednesday Sweep
Hole 9. Sandra Boucher
Hole 10. Trustees Bill Phelan, Eddie Lawless and Barry Walsh
Hole 11. DNG
Hole 12. Sweeney Sheet Metal Ltd
Hole 13. Past Lady Captains
Hole 14. Thursday Ladies
Hole 15. Glass Centre
Hole 16. Denali
Hole 17. Newbridge Silverware
Hole 18. Astrea Beer
 
  
Friends of St Anne's Programme

  • Bank of Ireland Private Banking
  • Bank of Ireland Raheny
  • Brian Hayes
  • Brodericks
  • Cait Hayes
  • Catriona Fitzgerald
  • Cropcare
  • DAR
  • Domus Projects
  • Eco Mod
  • Fergal Nolan
  • FloGas
  • Happy Out
  • Jack McHugh
  • John Twamley RIP
  • Margaret Penrose
  • Mary Rose O'Flaherty RIP
  • Mercer
  • Mr Buggyman
  • Newbridge Silverware
  • Olivia Whelan & Shay McGrath
  • Open Communications
  • The Insurance Shop
  • Therese and Tom McCormack
 
PRESENTATIONS MADE TO DICK O RIORDAN AND AUDREY HEADON
Past President Therese Mc Cormack commissioned a special plaque which was presented to Dick O Riordan by President Damien Murran in recognition, and thanks, for the fabulous work he did in producing our magnificent Centenary Book.
The President also presented Audrey Headon with a beautiful bouquet of flowers as a gesture of thanks for all of her efforts as Centenary Coordinator.
A SNAP SHOT OF OUR CENTENARY YEAR.
JANUARY
01 Jan. As a result of a national lockdown due to Covid-19 our Captains Drive In and the raising of the three new flags (Irish Flag, Club Flag and Centenary Flag) was pre-recorded and was sent out virtually. The videos were viewed by over 750 members.

MARCH
New signage erected around the club.

MAY – A Centenary Bag Tag was gifted to every member.

JULY – Inauguration Day 1st July was celebrated whilst adhering to all Covid-19 regulations. We had a fun day of golf and lots of food treats around the course.
1st July also saw the launch of our Centenary Book a copy of which was gifted to all members.
30th July – New Clock erected

AUGUST – Centenary Captain Leo “George” Devitt held his Captains Day.

SEPTEMBER
4th September Centenary Lady Captain Julie held her Lady Captains Day.
5th September – Opening of our Centenary Room.
7th – 10th September we held our Centenary Tournament. Teams from Holland, Germany, USA, Ireland and our own St. Anne’s members competed over 3 courses, Portmarnock Golf Links, Baltray G.C. and two days in St. Anne’s G.C.

OCTOBER
15th October – Friends of St. Anne's Golf Day

DECEMBER
9th December – New painting of the old clubhouse by Tetyana Tsaryk completed and hung in Dining Room.
10th December – Time Capsule Buried.
THE NEXT 100 YEARS
Our founding fathers and the countless number of members who committed their time and energies over the decades, to bring us to where we are today, deserve our “thanks”. Their foresight, hopes, aspirations, failures and many achievements are well documented in our Centenary Book. St. Anne’s Golf Club in 2021 is a testament to them.

The early years of this century were difficult for St. Anne’s G.C. The economic crash was an exceedingly difficult period. Reduction in membership numbers, loss of income for day-to-day expenses and the cancellation of capital programmes were some of those difficulties. Now, thankfully, we are in a much better place.

This is due in no small way to the many excellent members who decided to make St. Anne’s their “second home” in the last decades. Some had no golfing experience before joining and some joined us from other “golfing homes”. Recent initiatives like the ILGU “Get Into Golf” programme and the introduction of Lifestyle membership has proven to be beneficial to our club.

St. Anne’s is extremely fortunate with the quality, expertise and commitment of all of its members. They give of their time freely. Some have volunteered for Council, Men’s and Ladies committees and many are on sub-committees. Others have represented St. Anne’s on inter-club teams or have managed teams. With such commitment we can only continue to thrive.

SO, HERE’S TO THE NEXT ONE HUNDRED YEARS!
(Extract from our Centenary Book written by Barry Walsh)