InTouch Rugby attended the Harrington Golf Challenge on Saturday 21st August. We were thrilled by the excellent standard of golf and the immense support that the Harrington family have generated for families living with Autism and Asperger Syndrome.
Keen golfers from all over descended on the Hilton Hotel Templepatrick golf course to play 18 holes in the splendid sunshine, quite apart that is from the traditional tee-off with Kevin Harrington & Captain Harry Girvan of Clandeboye Golf Club and Michael Bailey of Salthill, who then had to mushroom tent their umbrellas to survive the tropical downpour which thankfully never returned.
We were on hand to take some shots of each of the golfers on hole 18, and putting on the 17th green, not to mention the evenings entertainment, dinner and gala auction.
By far the highlight of the evening was a speech given by Kevin Harrington who has Asperger Syndrome and to hear him speaking was an absolute honour!
With the support of his family and friends and developing his own personal resources he has grown to completely manage the syndrome and must give so much confidence to others.
Kevin took to the stage and explained to us all his journey from being diagnosed, to writing a Phd and is now prepared to speak publicly of his journey!
He said “I never thought I would stand up here and talk about myself.”
15 minutes later we were all standing and applauding an excellent speech which touched every member of the audience.
Kevin explained what its like to have Asperger Syndrome, and the isolation that sufferers feel. This is intensified by the difficulty in connecting with others which leads to isolation and separation from the world. I could not help but identify with everything he said. Instead of crossing the road to his nearest golf shop, Kevin will walk a mile to find a pedestrian crossing. The feeling of terror of crossing the road or the feeling of terror that he encountered upon the very thought of public speaking are things a lot of us can identify with. That is why it is so important that the work of Families Living With Autism And Asperger Syndrome is supported by donations and events such as The Harrington International Golf Challenge.
The challenge is held every two years in memory of the late Dr Frank Harrington, a Director in the EU. The bi-annual, family golf challenge weekend, is also an opportunity for Frank’s friends and colleagues in Ireland, Belgium and further afield to gather and celebrate his lifetime passion for the game of golf and his contribution to the care of Autistic Children and those suffering from Asperger Syndrome.
We managed to get 172 pictures – CLICK HERE TO VIEW – ENJOY!
Speaking to event organiser Emer Harrington, she said
“We are very grateful to Mark Walker, Area General Manager of
Hilton NI & his team at Hilton Templepatrick who willingly
hosted this prestigious event on their Championship Golf Course
and offered the hospitality and facilities of their delightful
clubhouse to our celebrity, guests and friends.”
The next challenge will be on August 10th 2012 and we look forward to covering it again.
For further information please contact Emer Harrington Tel: (028) 91455061 Mob: 07802985052 Email: emer@holistic-events.com
