Chapter:Founder Members -Executive The First Executive

All of the Club's first executive members have long since gone to their eternal reward. But we give here short pen-pictures, as far as is possible, of some of those fine gentlemen who established the Club and who were the pillars of its development in its cradle days
MARGERIE MULVANY -was hon. secretary of the Club in 1911. Her sister, Isabella, is also said to have been "one of the principal members of the Golf Club". Both were daughters of the late Thomas A. Mulvany, C.E., Barrow Bank House, Portarlington. Isabella married Dr. Vicars Maddison Fisher, Sutton, Dublin, and it is said that a feature of her wedding day was "the turn out of the caddies from the Golf Club who raised a lusty cheer". Dr. Fisher was the son of the late Vicars Henry Fisher, M.B., Portarlington, who resi~ed at St. Germain -formerly a finishing school for young French-speaking ladies -now known as Manley's Hotel, Portarlington. (St. Germain was built by Dean Champigne in the 1700s).
CAPTAIN HENRY ARMSTRONG -Captain Armstrong was a member of the British Armed Services and a member of a family long associated with the Portarlington area. One of the family was a magistrate for the Queen's County in 1831. At the time of the institution of the Club Capt. Armstrong resided at Rockfield, Portarlington. He was the presenter of a magnificent engraved silver salver to the Club in 1909.
REV. JOHN FRANCIS COLE -was the first president of the Club. He was educated at St. Bees and was ordained on 20th September, 1880. Canon and treasurer of Kildare, Rural Dean, he was incumbent of St. Michael's Portarlington from 1885 to 1921, and of Ballykeane and Cloneyhurk from 1902 to 1921. He died on 29th December 1921.
W. O'DONNELL -son of T. H. O'Donnell, Manager, National Bank, Carlow, Willie O'Donnell transferred to the National Bank, Mountmellick, as cashier, in 1909. He is on record as having been an excellent golfer and was holder of the Cassidy and Gorry Golf Trophies. He was a member of the Carlow team that won the Barton Cup competition in 1908. Rugby and hockey were his other sports.
THOMAS N. WARDROP -T.N. Wardrop had the honour of Captaincy in the Club's inaugural year. His ancestors immigrated from Motherwell ., Scotland, to Omagh, County Tyrone, in 1844. Later the family moved to Blackrock, Dublin, where he was born in 1870. On leaving school he was apprenticed to a firm of solicitors in Dublin, where he qualified in 1898. Moving to Portarlington that year to set up practice, he met his future wife, Annie Grange, whom he married in 1901. For many years he gave unstinting service to the Club where he was its legal adviser. He was later appointed~ Trustee and honorary life member. He was , too, a fine swimmer and diver. Thomas Neilson Wardrop died in 1960 aged 90 years. At the time of writing -(1987) William is still hale and hearty. His son, Ian, and his family now reside in Foxcroft House, Foxcroft Street, Portarlington. The house"was built by Rev. Antoine Bonebal who was the first Rev. Gentleman to minister to the French Church at French Church Street, Portarlington.
HENRY FARRELL-was born in Portarlington and resided at Upper Main Street. He was a Building & Painting Contractor. He was vice-president of the Club from the date of its institution until his death in 1927. His wife, Margaret, was elected to that position in 1928 and held the office until 1945 in which year she died. She was a trustee for many years. This golfing dynasty was continued by their son, Alfie, who successively held the position of captain, 1938; treasurer, 1939-45; vice president 1949-57 and president in 1952. He also served the Club as a trustee.
I. J. CREIGHTON -Ignatius Creighton was a representative with Messrs. Pims & Co. Ltd., Mountmellick. A contemporary ofW. H. Coboe, he was a fine gun shot and represented the Queen's County clay-pigeon teams on numerous occasions with success. Elected Captain in 1922, he was a member of the Maryboro Golf Club in 1905 when competitions were held on the Mellick Course, near Moun tmellick.
P. J. O'DONNELL -resided at Patrick Street, Portarlington. He was a splendid all-round athlete. Sprinter and hurdler, -he was in the 21' 0" class as a long jumper. From 1882 to 1894 he was a regular competitor at sports meetings. Like his contemporary of many years, W. H. Cobbe, hewas a first class gun shot and represented the Queen's County (Laois) Gun Club during that Club's remarkable run of success in the early years of the present century. He was, too, for a number of years, hon. secretary to the Portarlington coursing club. His daughter, Elsie, was also a long time member of the Club. She served a record five terms as Captain of the Ladies Branch in 1929,31,41, 46 and 51. She is remembered by generations of the Portarlington community as music teacher and Church organist. She died in Dublin some years ago at an advanced age.
W. H. M. COBBE -was born in Ballycullane, about three miles from Portarlington. Son of an auctioneer and farmer, he carried on the family business on the death of his father in 1906. He was a man of many talents. Champion billiard player, cyclist, gun shot and golfer, he performed at levels that even by to-day's standards would be remarkable; in his time he was unique. He sprang from a remarkable family who came to Ireland in 1717 and later established a

"Bones are imported from India -Bombay -and the Argentine Republic; also from Counties Kildare, Carlow, Wicklow, Queen's and King's CountIes. They export 1,000 tons annually -a figure whic h is scarcely reached by any other firm in the country. The Cobbe Firmc also import the best guano in the market and they import kainit from Southern Russia and Poland. A qualified chemist and eight workmen operate the Plant. .."

As a cyclist W. .H. Cobbe was in the top gr.ade. He beat Harry Reynolds off only twenty-fIve yards in the quarter-mile cycle race in Waterford in 1896. Reynolds was the world one-mile champion that year.He was the finest gun shot in the country. In 1902 he was a member of the Queen's County (Laois) team which beat Glasnevin for the "IrishChall.enge Shield" for clay pigeon shooting. He was still a member of the .county team that subsequently won the coveted shield on no fewer than ,eight occasions between 1902 and 1909, in which year hewon All-Ireland honours.He turned his attention to this new game of golf which was at this time sweeping across the land. It was he, more than any other, who encouraged the setting up of a golf club on the Warburton estate. He was familiar with the terrain, having had the shooting rights to the area.From the moment of the Club's inception, W. H. Cobbe gave generously of his time and resources to its development. His efforts did not go unrewarded. In 1914, on the Club's Fifth Anniversary, he was presented with an "Address" beautifully illuminated, in recognition of the work which he had done.

RT REV. MONSIGNOR HENRY BEAUCHAMP C.B.E., M.C., V.G. Monsignor Beauchamp was born in Rosenallis, Co. Laois, on 9th June 1881. His father, a small merchant-farmer, hailed from the village; his mother, nee Mary Delaney, came from Ringstown, Mountrath, a few miles away. The eldest of three children, he lost both his parents when he was a few years old. His guardian, Fr. John Beauchamp, parish priest of Borris, Co. Carlow who was his uncle, arranged with an Aunt who lived in Clara, Co. Offaly, to take charge of the three young children and to bring them up. It was there that the young Harry learned -long before he could read and write -to ride a horse. This skill stood him in good stead as it was to become his mode of transport when he was appointed curate in Portarlington many years later. He received his early education at the Franciscan Brothers School at Clara. In those days, it is said, he was delicate and seems not to have altogether relished the three spoonfuls of cod-liver oil which were administered to him daily. He continued is studies in Knockbeg College from 1897 to 1903. He read his theology course in Maynooth from 1903 to 1907 and was ordained priest in St. Patrick's College, Carlow, on 4th April 1908. He had completed his studies for the priesthood the previous year, but the Diocese at the time had a surplus of priests, and the Bishop informed the 1907 class that he would ordain to the priesthood that year only those willing to take a temporary mission outside of Ireland. He preferred not to leave Ireland and spent the intervening year as Prefect in the Diocesan College at Knockbeg. All his classmates were ordained and in due course returned to Ireland. Fr. Beauchamp was eventually the only one to spend all his ministry outside his native land. His ordination and appointment to Portarlington as curate coincided with the institution of the Golf Club and he was its first hon. secretary. He was elected vice-president the following year. Captain in 1910, he was hon. secretary again in 1914. He ministered in Portarlington until 1916. At that time Britain was in the thr?es of World War I and a pressing appeal went out to Ireland for chaplaIns. Fr. Beauchamp volunteered. He joined the Royal Army Chaplains' Department in April, 1916, and was appointed a temporary c aplam to the Forces. Later he was attached to the Argyll and Sutherland Division and was appointed its senior chaplain. He saw terVIce wIth that division in France and, in 1917, was awarded the M.C. or bravery under fire. b In 1918, when the Royal Air Force received its charter as a separate Bishop refused numerous requests and finally ended the correspondence by demanding Fr. Beauchamp's immediate return to Ireland. Instead of Fr. Beauchamp reporting back, His Lordship Bishop Keating, C.M.G., C.B.E., then Bishop in Ordinary to the Army, went in his stead. After much discussion, permission was obtained for Fr. Beauchamp to remain with the Forces. Fr. Beauchamp transferred from the Royal Army to the Royal Air Forces in 1919 and took up his appointment at Halton, in July of that year. He was made, so to speak, from the moment he arrived. On arrival at the Mess he asked a man standing at the door to help him with his luggage. This the man readily did, making several journeys. For his effort, Fr. Beauchamp gave him five shillings which he gratefully accepted. That -.night Fr. Beauchamp went to the Ante-room to be introduced to the commanding officer. ., to the man to whom he had given five shillings for carrying his cases. Fr. Beauchamp was still at Halton when he was appointed Principal Chaplain in 1929. He became one of the most decorated chaplains in the service with many distinctions to his credit. In 1940 he was appointed Papal Chamberlain and Vicar General, and later a Domestic Prelate. In 1945 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was holder of the C.B.F. and was awarded the Belgian Military Cross by the Regent of Belgium. The president of the Czechoslovakian Republic conferred on him the Medal of Merit First Class, and he was the recipient of the Military Cross First Class of Poland. In 1948 Monsignor Beauchamp attended a Leadership Course at Loyola Hall on completion of which he came home for a holiday. He travelled from Dublin to Carlow to visit old school friends there. But on arrival he felt unwell and he was taken to St. Brigid's Hospital, Carlow. He died three days later, on 26th April, of pneumonia. His class-mate, the most Rev, Dr. T. Keogh, Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin, was at his bed-side. He was interred in St. Mary's Cemetery, Carlow, and many dignitaries from the Royal Air Force came to pay their final respects. With them they brought a wreath on which was written: "To a great priest and friend", Air Marshal Sir Basil Embry said of him -"Harry Beauchamp, as he was affectionately known, did as other great men do, he built his own memorial. As originator and pioneer -promoter of the Moral Leadership, Courses, he gave to the Royal Air Force and to Britain the greatest contribution of the age in the field of training everyday men in Christian Leadership. His breadth of vision, priestly zeal and unflagging energy devised and brought to fruition the scheme of the Leadership Courses, which time has proved to be of inestimable worth in the training and producing of Leaders. He taught them by wise counsel and noble example how to serve their God, love their country and honour their king", These, then, were the helms-men during the Club's earliest years and who guided its fortunes into the nineteen-twenties -along the way winning its first major success in 1917 and '18 by annexing the prized Midland Counties Trophy. (See under Competitions).