"The Lorimer" celebrates Golden Jubilee

Ninety eight years of “Keen golfing rivalry”

On Monday 14^th September 1920 the first ever meeting of the Chartered Accountants Ireland Golf Society took place at Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle when Mr W.H. Smyth FCA from Belfast won the Quin Challenge Cup, a trophy presented for this inaugural event by Mr Stewart Blacker Quin, President of the Institute, 1917/19. The Belfast News Letter carried a report of the event which can be found on its digital archive and among the key details it was recorded that there was “keen rivalry in evidence between the representatives of Belfast and Dublin.”

Ninety seven years later on Friday 26^th May 2017, the ‘Quin’ and the Chartered Accountants Golf Society are both still going strong. The annual golf outing is now held at The County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point, where the event has been for the last sixty five years. For the record Mr. D. Henry FCA was the 91^st winner of the Quin Cup, the missing years being explained by the intervention of the Second World War.

The Lorimer Shield, (pictured above with Sir Desmond Lorimer, past President of the Institute 1968/69 will be played for the 50^th time this year at Rosses Point. Sir Desmond is the Institute’s oldest surviving past President, celebrating his ‘Golden Anniversary’ in 2018 and is still enjoying his golf at the age of 92. “I am delighted to know that the shield is still being competed for by the enthusiastic golfers at Rosses Point.” The “Lorimer” is the trophy awarded to the winners of the interprovincial District Society team event, and is the most prominent feature of the annual two day golf meeting due to the ongoing good natured banter that arises from exactly the same “keen rivalry” that was noted at the very first event back in 1920.

The Ulster Society have won the “Lorimer” for last five years in a row, a situation the other District Societies cannot surely allow to continue. All Chartered Accountants / members of the Institute with a handicap are eligible to play at Rosses Point and represent their province, invitations are not required and the competition format is net stableford points. It is clear that some new golfers from Leinster, Munster and Connacht are needed to wrestle the trophy and the bragging rights away from the Ulstermen. For more information about the event and to enter this year please contact Peter Greene, Secretary of the Golf Society at peter@pgraccountants.com .