Jude Collins

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Just what we need -another golf course. Thanks, Alex


You can be too modest, too.  You can go around all the time saying "I am a worm and no man", and then next thing you discover you have greatness thrust upon you. Or if not thrust, at least breathing so close, you can feel its hot breath on your neck.  I'm referring, of course, to the fact that Minister of the Environment Alex Attwood reads my blog.

You doubt my word? How else to explain that I do a blog titled 'How to play golf and get rich', and next day virtually, little Alex has got the news media all agog about will he/won't he give the green light to the development of a hum-dinger, top-drawer, out-of-this-world golf links up about Bushmills?  Coincidence? I think not.

And not just  a matter of links. There are going to be chalets - really nifty sort of golfing second homes. There's going to be a five-star hotel set in lovely scenery - it's going to be wunnerful. I expect the sellers of The Big Issue  will hurl their magazines in the air and break into spontaneous dance when the news breaks. And when the 23,000 people that are homeless here get the word, they'll probably tear up those scrawled appeals of theirs and replace them with "Vote for Alex- He's good for golf!" And of course the 50,000 young people who emigrated to Canada and Australia from Ireland last year and the 50,000 that are expected to do likewise this year must be kicking themselves - they could stayed far nearer home and gone up north to whack a ball around Bushmills. Couldn't they?

Well, no. The one thing you can safely say about this golf links is that it will have a no-scruff-allowed policy. Somebody on radio this morning suggested that in this time of economic cut-back, there wouldn't be a market for this kind of luxury. Ha. And ha bloody ha. The answer is that there may not be a market for middle class and working class people, who are feeling the ever-sharper bite of the recession, but there are still enough super-rich people to fill the Bushmills hotel before tootling out for a restful-yet-fun 18 holes. Some natives might get lucky and find a job cooking or serving grub to the safe-from-recession golfers. The Easter Proclamation may have stated "the right of the people of Ireland to the ownerships of Ireland", but of course they didn't know what was going to be carved out, up in Bushmills, one hundred years later.  Nice one, Alex. You're doing a great job. And  keep reading, OK?


2 comments:

  1. Sorry Jude not quite getting your point. The hotel and course will attract tourists who spend money here which helps our economy. If we dont think that this is the case then why bother trying to attract any tourists. The only issue is that the course is going to be a mile or 2 away from the causeway. Some people thought this may affect the unesco heritage status but lets be honest the eyesore of a welcome centre didnt stop that so I hardly think a golf course 2 miles away will either. I am completely in support of this venture. My only concern is the housing that is built in the area is done tastefully. If you go to Lough Erne another new golf resort the housing there looks a bit naff and out of place. By the way Golf is one of the few things we seem to be good at other than joyriding and kneecapping so we should flaunt it. I liked your previous blog and we should start to build more and more golf courses and rename the country golfland or something $$$$.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We absolutely love your blog and find many of your post's to be just what I'm looking
    for. can you offer guest writers to write content to suit your needs?
    I wouldn't mind publishing a post or elaborating on most of the subjects you write with regards to here. Again, awesome blog!

    Feel free to visit my website: NFL Cheap Jerseys

    ReplyDelete