County Limerick Lands Ryder Cup
Adare Manor in County Limerick has been confirmed as the host of the 2026 Ryder Cup.
It will be only the second time that the event has taken place in the Republic of Ireland, with the previous edition in the country having been staged at the K Club in County Kildare 13 years ago.
Local organisers believe the contest could generate a direct positive economic impact of €161m (£145m) for the Irish economy. With the event broadcast to more than 370 million homes worldwide, the promotional value of the Ryder Cup is likely to be around €100m, according to Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross.
The hosting rights were confirmed at an Irish government cabinet meeting in Donegal following almost a year of negotiations.
The European Tour, the managing partner in the joint venture that comprises Ryder Cup Europe, originally approached the Irish government last September. Although there were expressions of interest from other potential hosts, the tour was happy to waive a competitive bidding process if a deal could be reached.
European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley said: “This is a tremendously proud day for everyone at the European Tour and everyone associated with the island of Ireland and Irish golf.
“When we started the discussions with both the Irish Government and Adare Manor on this entire project, they promised to deliver, and they have both done that.”
Adare Manor is owned by JP McManus, the Irish businessman and renowned racehorse owner.
Adare Manor Chief Executive Colm Hannon told RTÉ Sport: “Every country and every venue would like to secure the Ryder Cup. Golf tourism is very big in Ireland and we’d like that to grow.
“With Adare 2026, golf tourism in the country should see the rewards. Local tourism initiatives should see the benefits, and the rising tide will raise all boats.”
As part of the agreement, it has been confirmed that the Irish Open will remain on the calendar on a rotational basis between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland until at least 2026.
Paris hosted the most recent edition of the Ryder Cup last year, while Rome will stage the next edition in Europe in 2022. Europe has not lost a Ryder Cup on home soil since 1993.
Data released last year by YouGov Sport (SMG Insight) showed that a Ryder Cup won by Europe generates “almost three times as much chatter as any other golf tournament among UK audiences”.
