Date posted: 7 March 2022
Posted by: Peter Bennett

Johnny Connaughton was elected a Honorary Member of Killiney Golf Club at the 2022 AGM. John Green delivered an appreciation of Johnny. Here is a transcript of John’s address.

 

Johnny Connaughton

Often as not when I walk into the front hall of this great club, and I catch a glimpse of the chandelier two thoughts crossed my mind. One is whimsical; it is Richard Harris’ story of the AGM in Young Munster rugby club. Under AOB a worthy member at the back stands up and says, “I depose that a “chandelier” be erected in the main hall but before he can finish Hon Sec jumps up and says you’ll depose nothing until you pay your description.” The other thought is of the generosity of Johnny Connaughton not just in kind because yes, the magnificent fireplace and our “chandelier” were gifts from Johnny and Teresa at the opening of the new clubhouse, unsolicited and largely unacknowledged but in fact the whole clubhouse is a testament to Johnny’s generosity. Since the autumn of 1998 when it became clear we were going to have to do something about our old clubhouse Johnny was at the forefront of the campaign, He became chair of the clubhouse redevelopment committee. Yes, he had magnificent members of his committee, I see Pat and Donn here, both honorary officers but they would all agree that Johnny was the driving force of the committee. Johnny was BOLD and EMBOLDENED…the best compliment I can give him, and that committee is what Brock the builder said to me … if an extra reared up and bit those guys in the face they'd still say it was in the original contract.

Johnny Connaughton, Peter Dempsey and John Green (1986)

Johnny Connaughton join Killiney Golf Club in 1971, proposed by the immediate past captain Harry Robinson and seconded by about to be captain Tom McCarron. Like many members at that time, he was a refugee from the flood plains of the Liffey aka Hermitage Golf Club. In his early years here, Johnny enjoyed the high ground and dry feet with a quick round of golf on a Sunday morning followed by several even quicker rounds in the back bar. He was always available to represent his club, Johnny and Teresa were stalwart supporters of club events and his advice was often sought and freely given, in short, he was a captain in waiting.

In 1986 upon the nomination of Arthur Murphy (RIP) he became captain. 1986 was an eventful year, the car park with extended even further, the showers and toilets were revamped, the 1968 building failed to burn down. I remember well Johnny driving up as the fire tenders were pulling out and he turned to me and said, with the building still standing, what idiot called them!  However, in hindsight the most important event was Johnny's insistence on putting the ninth tee back into Killybegs; we had bought that land in 1984 to keep the integrity of the 8th hole. Johnny insisted on putting the 9th tee back in as far as we could into Killybegs. It would be about 15 yards West of where the current back tee is. It was an awful tee. It was hard enough as a right hander but pity those “ciotachs” those sinister lefties who stood there with only a few bushes and a four-foot-high wall to protect them from the oncoming 45A bus. Yes, it was an awful tea but having proved usage of that ground it gave us leverage in the compulsory purchase order negotiations for the road widening. For selling less than 10% of our land we got well over 80% of the purchase price plus, very importantly, a two metre highwall from Killybegs to Beech Court… which greatly reduced the amount of pedestrian traffic on the course.

Contemporaneously we were treating with Council over a right of way for a water pipe to go from the soon to be built reservoir beside the 6th Green, up around the back of the 7th tee and out at the 4th tee into Mullins hill. I was on the negotiating committee with the Council, but I was probably only counting paper clips or something. However, I also had to report to the main committee on the progress. For months I just said negotiations are taking place but of course the committee wanted to know how much money we were going to get. Eventually I said to Johnny we can't keep stalling these guys we've got to give them some figure; so reluctantly he said tell them we are going to get six figure sum! As you can imagine at the committee meeting there was great joy but the following committee meeting, I was hauled over the coals. I was told to get a grip…. there were letters from the club solicitor saying we only paid £90,000 for the whole of the Killybegs site…how could we expect to get £100,000 or more for this right away and this little piece of land we were selling. You can imagine the glee and the joy 3 captains later when the captain was able to get up and propose not only nine brand new sand-based greens but also that the members wouldn't have to put their hands in their pocket… all those in favour there wasn't one dissenter. Of course, £280,000 went a long way in those days.

Naturally when the land beside the 4th fairway, Mullins Hill, came up for sale Johnny was brought in. Most people wouldn't have realised that Johnny had already been working on this by engaging with Charlie Gunn who was a member and a director of XJS investments: the infamous owners, Google it it's worth looking at. Johnny had constantly said to Charlie we want first refusal on that land and Charlie had promised him that this would be the case. Charlie was good to his word. We tried to buy half the site, just over 12 acres but the Council refused to play bail and we ended up with a buffer strip of four and a half acres. It did its job and protected the driving off the 4th and 13thTees! Yes, it's sad we didn't get a new tee in there, yes it's sad we didn't get a new boundary in there but part of its worth was proven at the turn of the century when the Parks Department tried to rename the place, Killiney Hill West and put in mettle pathways and picnic tables. We were able to stop this by just saying “you can no do” we own the land. The real worth of the purchase of Mullins hill is probably evades most of us but when we were looking at those maps Johnny spotted a little red line. There was saying in this Golf Club… I missed a  putt by the black of my nail. Well, this line wasn't even the black of your nail but Johnny spotted it going north of the right away on the 1st hole. It ran parallel to the back tee at the 2nd. This was so opportune …I don't know whether you believe in happenstance, serendipity, or coincidence but at that same time as purchasing this land we were under considerable pressure from our neighbours. Johnny spotting this little bit of land and insisting to Dun Laoghaire that we had to keep that piece was one of the key moments in protecting integrity our course. As soon as the ink was dry on the contract, we are able to realign the tee and quite simply it was existential to that hole, undoubtedly one of the best on this golf course.

There are so many things that Johnny Connaughton was involved in I'd be here all night telling you about them but the best way I can sum it up is by pointing out that after Johnny was Captain there were 15 Captains who had the executive function and 7 Presidents who then carried on that executive function, which is now carried out by the Chairperson of the Council; I am pretty certain, more than pretty certain that almost all of those people would have begged a favour of Johnny; I am  utterly certain they were all obliged.

Teresa and Johnny

Johnny, I know, apart from the bosom of your family, there's nowhere you'd rather be than in your “Club”. I hope you get plenty of time to enjoy your Honorary membership. I also know that in a few weeks’ time you're celebrating a big birthday.! Once you are in the nineties… cricketing parlance comes in! No flashing outside the off stump, avoid those bouncers, don't be tempted to heave them over square leg, get them in singles and we will see you here in 10 years’ time to celebrate your century! God bless you Johnny and give our love to Teresa.

Past Captains. John Green (2000), Jim Byrne (2004), Jerry McSweeney (2007), Johnny Connaughton (1986) and Donal O'Meara (2002).