Michael Collins was a name on everyone’s lips in 1921, but the Michael Collins who came to St. Anne’s was more interested in the balance of nature than the balance of power.
Although he had no formal education in either gardening or horticulture Michael displayed, from the very start a natural gift for understanding the Bull Island terrain. He worked originally as a gardener in a local hotel but then become a links workman and then greenkeeper at The Royal Dublin GC where he showed an immediate interest and intuition for the job.
Michael’s first contact with the new, and as yet un-named, course down the island was the offer of overtime to build some greens. He came for a bit of work and stayed a lifetime, until his death, aged, 81, in 1981. His work on the course was always sure and certain, his presence in the clubhouse always kind and friendly.
He became a father figure, the heart and soul of St. Anne’s. When he became too old for work on the course in the late sixties and seventies Michael “retired” to steward the bar where his advice on course building and development was always sought and respected.
