Talented emerging golfer has strong Offaly hurling connections

A VERY talented emerging young female golfer has powerful Offaly and St Rynagh's hurling connections.

Living in Northern Ireland and a member of the famous Royal Portrush, Hannah Lee-McNamara has competed internationally and collected a host of highly sought titles on the Irish underage amateur circuit.

She is a daughter of a native of Banagher, Ronan McNamara, who was a very talented underage hurler in his youth. He was corner forward on the Offaly team that won their third All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship title in 1989, scoring an important point in the final win over Clare. A former hurler with St Rynagh's, he also got in for a goal in the wins over Kilkenny and Down that year and impressed with his performances.

McNamara was still minor in 1990, scoring four points in the first round loss to Wexford as the curtain fell on that sensational era for underage hurling in Offaly. Ronan had plenty of hurling in him but didn't play much at adult level with St Rynagh's and also didn't play U21 hurling for Offaly as life took him elsewhere.

After completing a degree in business studies, work took him to Northern Ireland and he set up a tourist business in Derry.

Hannah's grandparents, Ronan's parents, Pat and Lee McNamara are very well known in Banagher and live on that famous hurling nursery, Cuba Avenue. A native of Tynagh in Galway, Pat McNamara taught in Banagher Vocational School and coached All-Ireland and Leinster winning hurling teams there – the teams in the 1980s featured some of the greats of Offaly hurling, men who won All-Ireland senior hurling medals and All-Stars in the 1990 as well as winning All-Ireland minor hurling medals in 1986, 1987 and '89.

Pat had an infectious passion for hurling and he had a huge positive influence on so many hurlers during his time in the school – he also took a great interest in locals who went to other schools including Birr and Garbally, encouraging them at every opportunity while he also coached athletics.

The success of the schools in Birr and Banagher was a huge part of the Offaly hurling story in the 1980s and 1990s and the coaching done played a very important development role in the progression of so many fantastic hurlers.

Pat was sub goalie to the legendary Damien Martin on the great St Rynagh's teams in his early days and was a very keen, competitive golfer himself for years.

Hannah Lee-McNamara showed her class when winning the Connacht U18 girls title a few weeks ago. She had a great post to post victory, winning by a whopping eleven shots on -10 and she was the only girl to end up under par for the championship.

She shot a -6 65 in the final round as she finished second in the R and A Girls U16 Amateur Championship in April in Goy Magog, England, finishing on -9, just one shot behind the winner, Sabrina Wong from Hong Kong. She was fifth in the Flogas Irish Womens' Amateur Open Championship in June, doing very well against experienced golfers.

She has been bringing her golf to another level this year and was selected on the Great Britain and Ireland Junior Vagliano team. She has competed very well in several other prestigious tournaments, winning a bronze medal with Ireland in the European Girls Team Championships in early July in Slaley Hall, England.

Tullamore Golf Club triumphs in AIG Womens' Leinster Central Senior Foursomes

She was selected on the Irish girls side for the Home Internationals in Cork last week – Rahan woman, Ella Cantwell, Esker Hills and also a member at Tullamore, was also on that team.

After losing to Scotland and England, Ireland finished the competition on a high with a fine 15-6 win over Wales with both Lee-McNamara and Cantwell winning their matches.