Former Limerick council executive lands high-profile Ryder Cup role
Tom Enright, who previously served as the first economic development director at Limerick City County Council up to 2014, has been appointed to the leading role.
With this new role, the Waterford native will work alongside Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media of Ireland, Patrick O'Donovan.
After working with the Limerick council, he became the chief executive of Wexford County Council, a position he recently stepped away from due to the expiry of his contract.
Mr Enright, who was described as the architect of the Limerick 2030 economic renewal scheme, will help bring thousands to the region for the golfing tournament.
It is understood the Ryder Cup is thought to bring up to €160m to Limerick's economy, with 60,000 people attending Adare Manor on each day of the tournament.
As the Limerick Ryder Cup Team are planning for a year of events in the lead-up to the competition, the co-ordinator for Limerick City and County Council, Elaine O'Connor, compared the scale of the event to 'building a small village on a golf course'.
"It's important that we do use the strengths we have in our arts and culture sector and our events sector, and build on those to showcase what we can offer in Limerick in particular going forward,' she told the Association of Irish Local Government's annual conference earlier this month.
Accommodation challenges
Ms O'Connor noted that accommodation continues to be a challenge ahead of the tournament. This comes as Ryder Cup organisers have warned Irish hoteliers against price gouging and to commit to room rates ahead of the 2027 golf tournament in Adare Manor.
In February, the director of Hospitality and Guest Experience at Ryder Cup Europe, Alan Evans, questioned the 'surprising' prices hoteliers have quoted the organisation and urged the 300 hotel and guesthouse owners at the conference to avoid charging prices based on historical rates.
The Ryder Cup was last hosted in Ireland at the K Club in Kildare in 2006. An economic report found that it directly brought a record €143m into the Irish economy.
Across the country, the wider knock-on effect of the golf tournament was estimated to have generated spending of €240m. That year, an additional 90,000 overseas visitors holidayed in Ireland in September.
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