Open hero Paul has the talent to join the greats
Paul Dunne, the 22-year-old amateur golfer from Greystones, almost pulled off one of the greatest sporting upsets in living memory.
After 54 holes at the 144th Open Championship at St Andrew's, he led the pack in the club house.
Every sportsman and woman in the country was glued to a TV screen.
You could say, as George Hamilton once said at the 1990 World Cup, "the nation held its breath".
However, the miracle was not to be. Paul could not hold on to his lead and the title was taken by Zach Johnson.
Despite this, Paul (above) is the toast of the whole country and he has an extraordinary future ahead of him.
Isn't it wonderful that we have sportsmen like Dunne and McIlroy who keep the Irish flag flying high.
Talk about punching over our weight.
Well done Paul, the whole country is proud of you.