Tourism operators from County Clare gathered last evening at the rebranded The Rine in Newmarket-on-Fergus, formerly the Inn at Dromoland, for the Tourism Together Networking Event 2026 on 5 March.
Clare native Paul Mockler of Fáilte Ireland delivered the keynote address on the impact of large-scale events and opportunities for golf tourism in 2026 and 2027. He said ggolf visitors number 22,000 annually, generating €522m in spend, adjusted for inflation. The typical golf visitor spends nearly €2,500, about 2.5 times more than a standard leisure visitor. Domestic golf contributes €277m in economic impact from overnight stays and green fees, excluding members. Combined, golf tourism delivers around €800m in value. Courses, many of them links, are distributed across the island, supporting employment in rural areas where other investments may not occur.
Paul Mockler
Mr Mockler used the example of promoting Ireland as a single island destination for golf under the Golf in Ireland brand, rather than by county or jurisdiction. Overseas marketing through Tourism Ireland emphasises the island’s golf offerings, as visitors do not recognise borders or county lines.
Golf spend breaks down with 21pc on golf activities such as green fees, buggies, caddies, and pro shop purchases, while 79pc goes to non-golf elements including accommodation, food, drink, retail, and other experiences. This wider distribution creates opportunities for the tourism ecosystem. Fáilte Ireland established a golf tourism advisory forum and roadmap post-pandemic, focusing on six areas: regional distribution, maintaining world-class product, targeted sales, industry support, training for high-quality service, collaboration, and capitalising on major events.
Ireland is in a decade of major golf events, including the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in 2027. The event expects 280,000 attendees, with efforts to create flexible packages that allow visitors to extend stays for golf and other activities, increasing spend beyond event days. Past events like the Irish Open in Clare in 2019 demonstrated festival elements that enhance appeal. Media exposure from these events highlights off-course experiences, music, nature, and retail in areas such as the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren.
Business-to-business opportunities exist through travel trade events, the Golf Ireland Convention bringing 60 global operators and 80 Irish suppliers, and platforms like Failte Ireland’s profiles for suppliers. Engagement with destination management companies and tour operators allows inclusion in itineraries. North America accounts for 75pc of golf revenue, making value for money essential. Preparation includes digital content, benchmarking against competitors, and readying golf clubs for demand.
Paul Mockler shared: ”These golf courses and these resorts right around the country are allowing people to be employed in areas that they might not be employed otherwise. It means local communities are more vibrant, schools, GAA clubs, soccer clubs, and so on can exist.” “The additional 79, or 80pc from the round, goes on non golf activity. So if we take the €800m and divided by 10, of us by my 8, it’s 64m, 600 parts am. So there’s the economic impact for those golf visitors that goes into the wider tourism ecosystem.”
We call this the decade of Golf Ireland. We actually will have additional major events in the golfing sphere coming into the island in the early 2030s as well. So it really is a decade or a decade and a half of golf tourism in Ireland, and it’s a huge opportunity for us to benefit from.”
Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy chair of Clare cunty council told delegates that golf forms an important part of Clare’s identity, with courses along the Atlantic coastline reflecting the county’s natural beauty developed over generations. The Irish Open offers more than tournament play, serving as a platform to present the county’s creativity, hospitality, outdoor activities, and passionate residents to global audiences. Major sporting events attract new visitors and introduce Clare to those unfamiliar with the destination.
The speaker emphasised that every interaction with visitors shapes their experience and the stories they share. Contributions from accommodation providers, food businesses, cultural offerings, transport services, recreational activities, and community members all influence perceptions of the county. Collaboration creates authentic, seamless, and memorable visits.
As September nears, partnership remains essential for the success of both tournaments. Murphy encouraged attendees to use the networking event to exchange views, form connections, and identify ways to maximise benefits from the Irish Open during the event and in the longer term. He acknowledged the Tourism Department of Clare County Council for organising the gathering and supporting preparations across the sector.
Paul Murphy shaered: Hosting these events represents a proud moment for Clare, demonstrating leadership and collaboration. Collective efforts can ensure the tournament highlights the county’s people, landscape, and spirit of welcome.
“Hosting this event allows us to share that distinctive character with audiences around the world.” Major sporting events help us reach new visitors and introduce Clare to those experiencing it for the first time. Together, we can ensure that this tournament highlights the very best of our county, its people, its landscape, and its spirit of welcome.”
Gordon Daly
Gordon Daly told the Clare Networking Event in The Ryne Hotel that hosting two major international golf tournaments in September—the Irish Open and the Walker Cup—represents a significant opportunity. These events deliver extensive media coverage, economic impact, and long-term benefits. He noted that eyes from around the world will focus on Clare, placing the county on the global stage. Council staff work with venues, communities, Gardaí, elected representatives, and stakeholders to ensure smooth delivery and lasting legacy from these tournaments.
The speaker referenced his prior experience with the Ryder Cup in Rome in 2023, which reached 201 countries and involved large-scale operations. He anticipated similar exposure for the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in September 2027, with visitors arriving via Shannon Airport, staying in local accommodation, and visiting attractions in Clare. He confirmed that Shannon Group works with stakeholders to maximise benefits for the county from this event. Clare will also serve as the European Capital of Culture in a future year, providing another platform to showcase the county to European audiences.
Daly explained that events of all scales position Clare centre stage, generating tourism, capital investment, future residents, local opportunities, and renewed interest. The tourism department supports culture, arts, sports, recreation, and investment. The county hosts over 50 festivals and events each year, which attract visitors and encourage innovation. Challenges exist in accommodation supply, but the council supports businesses and investors exploring new hotels, campervan facilities, or other forms of tourist accommodation.
He mentioned new supports in the 2026 budget, including rates relief for new hotels, campervan facilities, and reopening vacant hotels. Daly thanked the tourism advisory forum, his colleague Siobhan McNulty, the tourism team, and the Ryne Hotel for hosting the event. He wished success to those involved in rebranding the venue and future plans at venues such as Dromoland Castle. He reiterated appreciation for ongoing dedication and partnership in strengthening Clare as a world-class destination.
He thanked the tourism industry for providing year-round employment, supporting local businesses, and sustaining vibrancy in towns, villages, and rural areas. He highlighted the strong collaboration within Clare, which he described as distinctive and envied by other counties and stated that Clare possesses enormous potential, which requires seizing opportunities to achieve progress, and assured that Clare County Council stands ready to support these efforts.
Gordon Daly shared: “This is where we deserve to be. This is very great, so we are on the world stage.” “Events, large or small, put our county centre stage, and they, like tourism, are catalysts for future resident, local opportunity, and renewed interaction interests in Clare.”
“I want to assure you that Clare County Council is here to support you and all those endeavours.”
Eoghan Corry
Eoghan Corry, a travel journalist, discussed the role of events and aviation access in driving tourism recovery and growth. He noted that tourism relies on connectivity, as marketing alone proves ineffective without flights. The hospitality sector emerged from the pandemic in a weakened state but has since recovered strongly.
Eoghan Corry told the Clare Networking Event in The Ryne Hotel that Shannon Airport recorded growth of 12pc in passenger numbers last year, with overall figures for aviation showing increases of around 4pc. Seat capacity in and out of Ireland this year stands at approximately 12pc above previous levels. Direct flights to North America have expanded from three destinations in the 1970s to more than 30 this year, including new routes to Pittsburgh, and Raleigh Durham, North Carolina. Canadian connectivity has also increased in recent years, with multiple routes from Toronto and direct flights to Vancouver. Supply chain issues, including late aircraft deliveries from Boeing and Airbus, affect operations but form only a minor part of an overall positive aviation story for Ireland.
Mr Corry said there was also strong optimism in the hotel sector, with significant capital investment underway despite delays in planning processes. Many projects face hold-ups, but appetite for expansion in hospitality remains high.
Recent global events in the Middle East, have disrupted travel patterns and pose risks to markets such as Australia and potentially the United States. Numbers from certain source markets have declined below pre-pandemic levels, influenced by changes in Central Statistics Office methodology and other factors. Corry stressed the need to monitor these developments and focus on reassurance to operators and visitors. Events such as the Irish Open and Walker Cup in September offer opportunities to maximise local economic benefits through clustered activities.
The Irish Open is NOT the Ryder Cup. While only a tiny fraction of the benefits generated by the Ryder Cup and British Open, every European PGA tournament is reckoned to inject €6m into the host area. Tournaments in Ireland have a disproportionate impact again, not felt in Germany or Belgium, because fo the scale of our golf marketing. The benefit from Doonbeg should be greater than that, greater even than the €14.4m generated in 2024 for county Down, €24m estimated for county Kildare in 2023 with 2025 still pending, and it is worth noting the Women’s Irish Open in Carton House generated €7m in 2024.
The larger golf events generate a multiple of this, with the Ryder Cup at the top of the food chain, €143m for the K Club all those years ago in 2006, €235.7m in Parish 2018 and €262m in Rome 2023 with direct impact form Adare 2027 forecast at €160m. The British Open brought €319.2m in benefits to county Antrim in 2025 with €101.7m in direct spend and €50.3m in local spend. She said Scotland has the advantage of frequent hostings of this pivotal event that generates hundreds of millions in tourism and expenditure. Troon 2024 in Scotland was broadly similar, brought €348.7m, with €100.5m in direct spend and €50.4 million in local spend. A competing market, Scotland has a big advantage in that it hosts the British Open in one out of every two tournaments, 39 out of 79 since 1945.
Clare benefits from its evolved tourism offering, strong connectivity via Shannon Airport, and proximity to event venues. Corry suggested branding opportunities, such as positioning parts of the region as the “Music Coast,” to enhance marketing appeal.
Eoghan Corry shared: “This year is special because it is on the right kind of courre. Most Major Irish tournaments are in the wrong place. Doonbeg is links course, when most of the Irish Opens have been held on parkland courses, with breakouts for places like Lahinch and Rossapenna. The K Club even tried to recreate a faux links course.”
“Tourism is about events and access. You can do all the marketing you want, don’t have the accessibility, it’s not gonna work.
Here’s something for free, by the way, a slogan for Clare, i cam up with it when I was composing a commemorative poem for my cousin’s wedding last weekend: The couplets went: ‘Waves the magic, waves the wand./ Red waves washing on White Strand/ The people of this music coast/ Are making waves wherever they go.‘ The music coast. I like the sound of it.”
Sean Lally
Sean Lally Chair Clare Tourism Advisory Forum shared “This networking event is about preparing the local tourism sector for the economic impact they can expect from a large-scale event like the Irish Open Championship. County Clare’s tourism operators are resourceful and have a strong history of working together. They will hear from expert speakers who can guide them on how best to get involved.”
Siobhán McNulty Director of Services Tourism Clare County Council shared “The upcoming networking event presents a valuable opportunity for Clare tourism operators to work collectively to capitalise on what a major event like the Irish Open can bring to our county.”
Ireland county by county
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Ireland’s County Clare:
Introduction – Adventure – Anthem – Archaeology – Attractions – Awards – Birdwatching – Breweries & Distilleries – Camping – Castles – Churches – Contact list – Cycling – Dining – Equestrian – Festivals – Fishing – Folklore – Gardens – Golf – Graveyards – Happening – Haunted– Highest – Hiking – History – Holy Wells – Hotels – Hotels top 8 – Hunting & shooting – Instagrammable – Itineraries – Largest town – Luxury– MICE – Movies – Music – New – Name – Novelists – Off the beaten track – Poets – Pubs – Quotes – Random Facts – Restaurant Awards – Sacred Places – Saints – – Sports – Sunsets – Sustainable – Things to do – Towns – Video – Villages – Walking – Wanderlist – Weddings – Wild swimming – Writers – 1837 – 1846 – 1852 – 1909 – 1955 – 1980 –
