Mayor hopes town can give Clarke a true hero’s welcome
20/07/2011
Hopes are high that Darren Clarke's major breakthrough at the British Open could be publicly celebrated in his hometown with talk of an of an open topped bus even being bandied about! In adding his voice to the swell of congratulatory messages that have already made their way to the triumphant golfer, Councillor Kenneth Reid, Mayor of Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council, said he hoped the whole town would be given an opportunity to give Clarke a hero's welcome. However, he said that while the Council would be only too happy to team up with Dungannon Golf Club to pay a fitting tribute to the Open winner, he added that any celebration would only go ahead with Clarke's full approval. He told the Courier: "I am absolutely delighted with his win at the British Open; by keeping his cool he has managed to bring home his first major in his 20-year career. "The Council would be very keen to have some kind of public event to mark this victory and we have even been contacted by a company offering an open top bus which could be used for a homecoming tour. "After all he was born and bred here and is one of Dungannon's sons, it's only right that we should mark the occasion with something fitting. "However all this depends on what we hear back from Dungannon Golf Club about whether or not Darren would want this kind of thing or if his schedule allows a visit to the town." "In the meantime," continued Cllr Reid, I intend to send my own personal congratulations to Darren upon his return to Northern Ireland. Source: Tyrone Courier |