Since June 2010 there have been three Major golf champions from Northern Ireland: Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and now Darren Clarke. It’s been an extraordinary run of wins as journalists and politicians from the United Kingdom, Ireland and the world attempt to place these three men, attempt to identify them. Where are they from?
Of course, having been born in Northern Ireland they are all entitled to dual citizenship. However, journalists refer to them in very disparate and inconsistent ways. It has been amusing to see the newspapers scrambling to place them, own them, claim them and not claim them at other times. This was brought to my attention especially in the Evening Standard. As we now all know, Darren Clarke had quite a party on the Sunday evening after his Open win. Well, the Standard went to town on this! With the manner of newsflash–worthy bullet points they announced:
- IRISHMAN HAS NO SLEEP AND LAST DRINK AT 8.30AM
- PLANS FOR A DIET PUT ON HOLD FOR AT LEAST 48 HOURS
Although the writer went on to describe the golfer as being from Northern Ireland later in the article, the headline didn’t mention this. It was very clear....this man is IRISH and he LOVES HIS PINTS!
Perhaps being Northern Irish sets one up for the possibility of being claimed and then not claimed at different times, depending on what is to gain or lose. When a sportsman wins a significant event, it will be expected that they will receive the public adulation of their head of state. When Rory McIlroy was victorious at Congressional in June, there were messages from three! David Cameron said ‘Congratulations to Rory McIlroy on a tremendous win at the US Open and his first major title’. Enda Kenny, the Irish Prime Minister, followed with ‘I’m sure this will be the first of many major golfing achievements Rory will attain in a long and stellar career’. Interestingly, both premiers were cautious not to publicly claim the win for their respective nations. However, NI First Minister Peter Robinson said McIlroy's triumph was "one of Northern Ireland's greatest sporting moments".
The golfers themselves often seem reticent about their identity too. Rory McIlroy will be playing on the Irish team in the Golf World Cup in China in November. However, he will be playing for the British team in the Olympics. After his US Open win, he was thrown a tri colour by an eager fan. It was quickly removed. (Although I have to say I think the fan was a little too eager, having literally thrown it in his face!) After the European win at the most recent Ryder Cup he was photographed with the Ulster Banner. Asked about how he feels on the subject, he responded ‘It’s a bit of an awkward question still, but I have a British passport and it would be Great Britain for me’. Some parts of the British press claimed Graeme McDowell as the first British winner of the US Open since 1970. Commenting on McIlroy’s and McDowell’s double whammy, Oliver Brown in the Daily Telegraph says ‘We need to spool back to 1925, when Scot Willie Macfarlane wrested the title from England’s Cyril Walker, to discover the last example of successive British triumphs in the game’s most ferocious test’. Why all the success for Northern Ireland? ‘It must be the Guinness’, said Darren Clarke on the matter.
Scouting for talent in his BBC blog in 2009, Rob Hodgett referred to Rory McIlroy as one of the ‘good British players at the moment ‘. But does ‘Britain’ not refer to the island of England, Scotland and Wales? Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. This is where the grammar of language becomes layered and covert. The noun ‘Britain’ describes an island of three countries. However the adjective ‘British’ seems to encompass the fourth nation, Northern Ireland. It is interesting how the Irish Times chose to word Clarke’s Open victory: ‘Clarke becomes Ireland’s fifth major winner’. Note the use of the noun, not the adjective. They are very careful not to describe him as ‘the fifth IRISH major winner’.
Even Reuters must have confused some people with the headline ‘Irish Eyes Smiling Again’ after Clarke's Open win. They went on to describe him later in the article as ‘the 42 year old Briton’. For anyone unfamiliar with Northern Irish history, this will be baffling! Then there is the outside perspective with the Vancouver Sun hailing the ‘heart and soul of Irish golf wins first major’.
Perhaps the rise of sporting heroes is what helps the process of nation-building. The fact that three recent champions are Ulstermen is a very unifying influence for Northern Ireland. These victories have undoubtedly brought huge attention and acclaim to the country, even if it is rather confused at times. But maybe in the long run it will help the development of a truly Northern Irish identity. These three golfers are now united in calling for the Open championship to be hosted in Portrush. If this happened it would be the biggest sporting event that Northern Ireland had ever hosted. Perhaps these sorts of things help to shape a community. The sort of thing which people invest in and draw inspiration from and build a shared identity.
