Established in 1951, the 75th Nancy Gannon Junior Open was a truly special occasion at Baltray, with 170 junior golfers coming together to compete in this historic event.
The day was made even more memorable as Valerie Breen was honoured for her incredible service to the event. Valerie has attended every year of the Nancy Gannon Junior Open and, for more than 30 years, has provided the delicious buns and cakes that have become such a much-loved part of the day. Valerie is truly the beating heart of this event, and it was wonderful to see her recognised for her outstanding contribution.
The Gannon family were all in attendance, helping to make it a very special day for the juniors and members of County Louth alike. Frank Gannon spoke eloquently about the history of the event and his memories of Nancy herself, while Lady Captain Martha McCabe also gave a lovely speech, sharing her own memories of this wonderful junior competition.
And, of course, there was plenty happening away from the golf course too, with putting and chipping competitions, ice cream, buns and lots of fun for everyone to enjoy.
On the course, the scoring was hot throughout the day, with one particularly special moment for Clontarf member Lorcan O’Connor, who recorded a hole-in-one on the 5th hole on his way to winning the Joe Shiels Cup with an excellent 34 points.
There were also some fantastic local performances. David Bohill won the WAGR Boys 54-hole event with a spectacular closing round of 67, while James McGuirk took the Matthews Cup with 33 points.
It was a wonderful day for the Mullen family, with sisters Isabelle and Juliette winning the McCabe Cup and Mary Gannon Cup respectively. Alfie McKenna also retained the Baltray Shield for a second successive year.
It was a particularly special day for the Bohill family, with Jamie winning the inaugural Valerie Breen Trophy — a fitting tribute given Valerie’s huge contribution to the event over so many years.
Congratulations to all our winners
- Joe Shiels Cup U18 Boys: Lorcan O’Connor (Clontarf) – 34 points
- Philomena Garvey Cup U18 Girls: Eva Lowndes (New Forest) – 26 points
- Matthews Cup U16 Boys: James McGuirk (County Louth) – 33 points
- Brendan McDonald Cup U15 Boys: Christopher McClure (Castle) – 35 points
- McCabe Cup U15 Girls: Isabelle Mullen (County Louth) – 28 points
- Eugene Gillan Shield U14 Boys: James Atkinson (The Island) – 35 points
- Peter Morgan Cup U13 Boys: Lewis Smith (Dundalk) – 32 points
- Baltray Shield U12 Boys: Alfie McKenna (County Louth) – 28 points
- Valerie Breen Cup U18 Boys & Girls: Jamie Bohill (County Louth) – 21 points
- Mary Gannon Cup U13 Girls: Juliette Mullen (County Louth) – 24 points
- Mark Gannon Cup U10 Boys: Luke O’Brien (Laytown & Bettystown)
- Jane Monaghan Cup U10 Girls: Inayah Abdollah (Kilcock)
County Louth would like to congratulate all of the winners and every junior who took part in making the 75th Nancy Gannon Junior Open such a fantastic success.
A very special thank you also goes to the Gannon family, the Sarsfield Family for their generous sponsorship, all our club volunteers and our staff, whose hard work and dedication made the day possible.
The 75th anniversary was a fitting celebration of an event with such a wonderful history, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to Baltray again next year.
See you all next year!
Full Results Below
18 Hole Gross Stableford Competitions
Joe Shiels Cup U18 Boys
1st Lorcan O’Connor (Clontarf) 34pts
2nd Adam Murray (Castle) 33pts
3rd Andrew Robertson (L&B) 32pts
Philomena Garvey Cup U18 Girls
1st Eva Lowndes 26pts (New Forest)
2nd Laura Healy (Balbriggan) 25pts
Matthews Cup U16 Boys
1st James McGuirk (Co. Louth) 33pts
2nd Sam Rogers (Co. Louth) 30pts
3rd Finn Neville (Roganstown) 28pts
Brendan McDonald Cup U15 Boys
1st Christopher McClure (Castle) 35pts
2nd Daniel Murphy (Co. Louth) 33pts
3rd Darragh Dwyer (The Royal Dublin) 33pts
McCabe Cup U15 Girls
1st Isabelle Mullen (Co. Louth) 28pts
2nd Aoibhe Reilly (Co. Louth) 16pts
Eugene Gillan Shield U14 Boys
1st James Atkinson (The Island) 35pts
2nd Cillian O’Rourke (Naas) 35pts
3rd Eamon Mulvany (Bellewstown) 30pts
Peter Morgan Cup U13 Boys
1st Lewis Smith (Dundalk) 32pts
2nd Ollie Ormond (Straffan – K Club) 29pts
3rd Cian Butler 28pts
Baltray Shield U12 Boys
1st Alfie McKenna (Co. Louth) 28pts
2nd Sean Tuite (Co. Louth) 26pts
9 Hole Competitions – Nett Stableford
Valerie Breen Cup U18 Boys & Girls
1st Jamie Bohill (Co. Louth) 21pts
2nd Liam Doran (Kilcock) 21pts
3rd George Menton (Hollywood Lakes) 21pts
4th Jack Sharkey (Dundalk) 19pts
Mary Gannon Cup U13 Girls
1st Juliette Mullen (Co. Louth) 24pts
2nd Molly McGuirk (Co. Louth) 20pts
Mark Gannon Cup U10 Boys (4 Holes
1st Luke O’Brien (L&B) -1
2nd Teddy Kelly (L&B) +1
3rd Ben Mooney +2
Jane Monaghan Cup U10 Girls (4 Holes)
1st Inayah Abdollah +4 (Kilcock)
2nd Aisling McGrath +14 (Forrest Little)
3rd Grace Sharkey +14 (Dundalk)
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