When McElhinney and McGeady both turned professional this year the Irish golfing world prepared to forget North-West. But the Buncrana boys are still a fighting force and have proved so by fighting through Ulster in the Barton Shield.

McElhinney's younger brother Cathal, aged 17, is part of the team and is playing forcefully alongside Pauric Og O'Flaherty. The two fought a great rearguard action in the Ulster final against Cairndhu as they recovered from four down after seven holes to be just one down at the 17th.

That was good enough, as the other match was won by three holes by Garrett Mallon and David Magough, who had been one-down after four but birdied three of the last four holes for victory.

North-West has, of course, a proud place in Irish golf history since the great Lionel Munn and his brother Hector marauded across British and Irish fairways as dominant amateurs almost 100 years ago.

The club promoted a great scratch cup into the 1960s and produced winners such as Joe Carr, Noel Fogarty and John O'Leary.

The club was threatened by coastal erosion for many years and its delightful links got slimmer and slimmer between the road and the Atlantic.

Thankfully, all of that has been overcome and Frank Friel, who is 'Mr Golf ' in those parts and manages the teams, met me during the week and proudly confided that they now have 12 schoolboys playing off handicaps of 5 or 6.

North-West are truly heading in a forward direction.