Irish Winners of The Open Celebrated in New Documentary

Excitement is building for The Open at Royal Portrush and helping golf fans to get into the mood for the oldest major in the game, Tourism Ireland has partnered with the Golf Channel and The R&A to create a new documentary, This is Open Country, which celebrates the island of Ireland's remarkable success in the championship.

Produced by award-winning Irish filmmakers Ross Whitaker and Bob Caldwell, the documentary records Ireland’s amazing recent achievements at The Open ahead of its return to Royal Portrush. It will air to British audiences on Sky Sports Golf and streaming service NOW at 7pm on Thursday July 10.

Featuring interviews with Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke, the one-hour programme journeys across the island of Ireland to understand what transformed these four golfers from young boys on the golf course to the top of The Open leaderboard. It also includes contributions from golfing experts and competitors such as Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley and major winner Graeme McDowell.

Aidan Power, Tourism Ireland’s director of marketing, said: "Tourism Ireland was delighted to support the filming of ‘This is Open Country’ through our International Programming Ireland Fund. As an island, we have had incredible success when it comes to The Open Championship and we hope our luck continues at Royal Portrush next week!

"Golf is the world’s largest sports-related travel market and Tourism Ireland is working hard to drive home the message that a golfing holiday in Ireland is about much more than a round of 18 holes - the combination of our world-class golf and our unique brand of hospitality plays a key role in attracting golfers from around the world."

Director Ross Whitaker said: "We set out in hope rather than expectation that we could get all four of Ireland’s recent Open Championship winners to come together in one documentary and talk about this incredible run of success we’ve had, so it’s incredibly exciting to be able to present this story as told by them. It’s a privilege to be able to present their experiences and also to show some of the stunning locations and courses around Ireland where they learned to become some of the best golfers in the world."

For more information on playing golf in the island of Ireland, please visit www.ireland.com/golf.