During a day of meetings in Dublin, The European Tour took time out for a luncheon with Irish Government Officials to honour the retirement of Con Haugh, Secretary General at the Department of Tourism, Culture and Tourism.
Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady presented a Thomas Lytle silver salver to Haugh to mark his special contribution to golf, in the company of Redmond O’Donoghue, Chairman of Fáilte Ireland, Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills, other leading officials from the world of golf and members of the Irish government, past and present.
O’Grady paid tribute to Haugh, a career Civil Servant who was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation (now the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport) in December 1998 and moved into the role of Secretary General in February 2007, serving under six Ministers over that 13 year period.
He was a valued supporter of The European Tour during the build-up to Ireland’s successful hosting of The 2006 Ryder Cup and was closely involved in the Tour’s staging of the Irish Open in recent years.
O’Grady said: “I think the inscription on our presentation salver says it all: ‘In appreciation of your immense contribution to the growth of golf and tourism in Ireland and to the success of The European Tour.’”
In response, Haugh commented: “I am deeply honoured that George O’Grady and The European Tour would take time to honour me, for doing what I consider to be my job. It has been my privilege to work with leading sports administrators over many years.
"The professionalism and support displayed by the George and his team at The European Tour, which is one of the world’s foremost sporting bodies, has been particularly rewarding. The Irish Government and Fáilte Ireland has enjoyed a special partnership with The European Tour over many years and the cultivation and deepening of this relationship in the future is crucial for the continued success of the Irish golf product.”
O’Donoghue said: “When we all get to the end of our careers, the emotion we would all most like to feel is that we made a difference. Con certainly made a difference, and all of it for good. We - Irish - often find it easier to express our feelings in our native language; and so I say about Con " ni beidh a leithead aris ann ", which means “we will never see his likes again.” Certainly, we'll never see anyone like Con Haugh again. We wish you every happiness in the months and years to come.”
