Chapter name :ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I desire gratefully to acknowledge the co-operation of many people in submitting material and other details for this book.

I wish to thank the President of the Golfing Union of Ireland, Mr. Gerard O'Brien, for writing the foreword.

I wish to express my thanks to the Captain of the Club, Mr. Eugene Boland, for his support and confidence in me. It was at his request that this book was written.

To the President of the Club, Mr. Donal Dunne, to the Lady Captain, Mrs. Bridie Higgins, the Lady President, Mrs Maureen Cribbin, the Lady Hon. Secretary, Mrs. Maura O'Callaghan, the Lady Hon. Treasurer, Mrs. Marie Walsh, for submissions made.

To the Laois and Offaly County Libraries; to The Nationalist and Leinster Times; The Leinster Express; Midland Tribune, The Offaly Independent and to The Leinster Leader who gave me full access to their files.

To the Irish Independent who advertised my request for material; To the Director and Staff of the National Library; the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews; and to the Church of Ireland Representative Church Body Library for permission to use material from the pa pers of Canon J. B. Leslie; to the Rt. Rev. Monsignor J. B. Harris, S.C.A., V.G., Principal R.C. Chaplain, R.A.F., for extracts from a paper on the Rt. Rev. Mgr. H. Beauchamp.

I wish to thank Mrs. Sheila Hughes (nee Cobbe), daughter of the founder of the Club, Mr. William Henry Mercier Cobbe, for invaluable material given and from which I have drawn heavily.

I wish to express my thanks to Miss Anne Dooley, daughter of the late Dr. Beauchamp-Dooley, formerly of Portarlington, now living in England; to Mr. R. H. H. Russell; Dr. J. C. Canning; Mr. Ray McLoughlin of the National Council for the Blind of Ireland; the Rev. Mr. Cavan, Rector, Portarlington; Maynooth College; Mr. Aidan O'Donnell; Mr. G. O'Sullivan; Mr. T. M. Fletcher; Mr. P. J. Conlon; Mr. Richard Warburton; Mr. Nigel Warburton; Mrs. Doris Warburton; Mr. P. D. Byrne; Mr. A. Tynan; Mr. Pat Butler; Mr. W. Wardrop; Mr. L. McMahon; Mr. John P. Flynn, Thurles; Mr. Jack Murphy; Mr. E. A. Parkinson; Mr. Hamish Sweetman; Mr. T. Hainsworth.

To Mrs. Maureen Kirby; Mrs. Mary Smyly; Mrs. Caragher; Mrs. Dennehy; Mrs. W. A. Tynan; Mrs. J. Dunphy; Mrs. M. Shortall; Mrs. Rosemary Rice Furlong.

To Dr. T. Cahill; Mr. Tony Dunphy; to my wife Frances; to my daughter Deirdre, and to the many generous sponsors, without whose support this history could not have been published.

R. J. MULLINS, 1988