Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories At last.Alamy Stock Photo HOME TOWN HERO Rory McIlroy and his hometown: A tortured stew of identity politics Holywood is the epitome of what the ‘Northern Ireland Dream’ could have been, if only they knew how to sell it. 5.28pm, 14 Apr 2025 Share options Declan Bogue WHEN RORY MCILROY was just 3 or 4 years old, he would spend his Saturdays with a plastic club, chipping balls onto the 18th green of Holywood Golf Club. Naturally, this being a golf club after all, that arrangement wasn’t to everyone’s taste. “Some of the oul boys wouldn’t have been too happy with it. They would be saying, ‘That’s not on.’ You know what golf clubs are like,” says Seamus O’Connor, a former club captain of the club. Seamus is also an uncle of my own. For that reason, even before Rory McIlroy appeared on ‘The Kelly Show’ and showcased his skill of chipping balls into a tumble dryer, the name of Rory McIlroy was being heard of in kitchens from Fermanagh to Down when he was still just 9. When he was not much more than a toddler, Seamus and his late wife Margaret would sit and watch this child of Gerry and Rosie flake around the place. When he went to Primary School, Margaret was his first teacher. By the time he was in school uniform, the golf club had become a little less stuffy about this kid hanging around the place. By the time he was 10, McIlroy was taking part in the club competitions. The level was decent. He hadn’t a handicap but they overlooked that. Seamus regrets never actually getting a chance to play alongside him. “I always found him down to earth and a normal lad like anybody else. But he was allowed to play on the competitions on a Saturday and was winning them when he was 10 or 11. He was playing against better golfers than me. He was something else, just different class and had things nobody else had, from an early age. “He was out-playing men who thought they could play golf. He was playing the second hole, which was a par 4, and he was driving the ball to the green at that age.” Advertisement From that 1999 appearance on ‘The Kelly Show’ – appointment viewing in a time of four watchable television stations while the RTÉ reception from Athlone was always a bit sketchy – he was public property. But he’s never given a hint of having outgrown Holywood. He purchased some apartments along the seafront there and his parents still live in the same house out the Bangor Road. The hero worship in the town is constantly off the charts. Skinners Bakery always has a new picture of him when he wins a significant trophy and first thing Monday they had a Green Jacket cupcakes flying out. The talk is, because it’s only talk now anyway until everyone returns to Planet Earth, is that he will make a visit home to Holywood and pay a visit to his old golf club where they still reserve a parking space, into which my father insists on parking his car every time he’s there. And as soon as his ball in the play-off dropped, the tiresome identity politics game that so many in the north like to play, flared up again. Perhaps I’m playing it myself by calling it ‘The North’ rather than Northern Ireland. I suspect that Rory McIlroy wouldn’t give a ballix, if you pardon the expression. Ok, Holywood: An Explainer. It lies just east out of Belfast. While the Harland and Wolff cranes and a glimpse of Victorian Belfast’s economic might are not far from view, this is a world away from the working-class east Belfast shipyard communities that built the Titanic in 1909, as well as chasing Catholics, and what was called ‘Rotten Prods’ from their jobs in 1920. The Catholics was plain old sectarianism. The ‘Rotten Prods’ were trade unionists seeking a fair wage for all; something that didn’t suit the Orange Orders and Masonic influences that wanted to operate their own systems of questionable merit. Holywood is a few miles away, and yet a million miles away. A seaside town of around 12,000 souls, it is unashamedly, resolutely, proudly middle-class with the trappings; red-brick Victorian houses. A nice few eating houses and boutiques. A pub called The Dirty Duck, another called The Maypole Bar – Ned’s to the locals that 22 years ago, flung anyone out onto the street that dared tried to use a mobile phone. Not sure if that policy is still in place. I dearly hope it is. Rory McIlroy went to a Catholic Primary school and then to the mainly Protestant Sullivan Upper Grammar school, established in 1862, with a Gaelic motto of, ‘Lámh Foisdineach An Uachtar’, (with the gentle hand foremost). The local GAA club, St Paul’s, is one that recruits from all religions and none. Congratulations to our wee @McIlroyRory. He has done our town proud. He looks great in Green, but we prefer him in yellow and blue. We are so proud of our most famous resident. Naomh Pól Abú🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/r1JHvIdTIy— St Pauls GAC, Holywood (@naomh_pol) April 13, 2025 Sure, there are a couple of hardline Unionist enclaves, but nothing too intimidating. There are no Republican areas. It is not so much ‘Tiochfaidh ár lá’ as ‘Tiochfaidh ár lá-di-da.’ In short, this place is precisely the ‘Northern Ireland’ dream, if only they knew how to sell it. McIlroy supports the Northern Ireland football team. He showed up for Carl Frampton fights. He’d go along to see the Belfast Giants. And yet he pledged himself to play golf for Ireland. His uncle, Mickey McDonald, played Irish League soccer for Glenavon and Cliftonville and spent several years togging out for the Armagh Gaelic football team. Identity politics? McIlroy is a stew of them. Pretty much any sports stars in the north have been faced with this stuff; to answer queries of passport colour, are they sound on the national question, would they tog out for Ireland in the Olympics? Related Reads 'A proud day for Ireland': McIlroy's dramatic Masters win hailed as 'a finish for the ages' Come on, you knew Rory McIlroy couldn't win the Masters in any way other than that Rory McIlroy: 'I have dreamt about that moment for as long as I can remember' And McIlroy greets all these like he greets apparently most things in life; conflicted, a little confused, agonising over the nuances. It’s been a trait of his since he was a very young man, such public property that he had to release a statement about breaking up with his then girlfriend in 2011. How insane is the fame game when you have to put on record a statement about ending a relationship as a 21-year-old? He also dithered over his future relationships, and ultimately decided against a marriage break-up which gladdened this non-cynical Old Romantic’s heart. And for a man from Ulster to call his daughter Poppy… Well, that takes some Main Character Energy. Rory McIlroy with wife Erica and daughter Poppy.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo As much as he is wracked with vulnerability, it’s his indecision that people identify with. He’s like any of us that find ourselves walking into a room, striding with purpose to do, do, do…that thing…that…feck it anyway. We love the tortured soul narrative. Only you can’t imagine him torturing himself too much from now on. Declan Bogue Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Rory McIlroy and his hometown: A tortured stew of identity politics”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Rory McIlroy and his hometown: A tortured stew of identity politics”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion HOME TOWN HERO Rory McIlroy FreeComment 6 talking points after the weekend's Leinster and Ulster senior football action 48 mins ago FreeComeback Shane O'Donnell aiming to play some part for Clare in this year's hurling championship Freesquad update Jack Conan and Ryan Baird are injury doubts for Leinster's clash with Ulster FreePodcastRugby Weekly Extra Jordie's brilliance, Munster's regrets, and Connacht's collapse FreeHistory Maker 'A proud day for Ireland': McIlroy's dramatic Masters win hailed as 'a finish for the ages' FreeFixtures Portlaoise and Tullamore confirmed as venues for Leinster football semi-finals Eddie Howe congratulates Newcastle players from hospital bed after Man Utd win As it happened Rory McIlroy wins the Masters in mind-boggling drama Gavin Cooney Save the Date Leinster learn fate as fixture details confirmed for Champions Cup semi-finals The legacy is complete Rory McIlroy completes astonishing Masters victory in play-off win over Justin Rose silent treatment 'He wouldn't talk to me' - Bryson on playing final Masters round with McIlroy more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account