New golf generation bringing a Challenge to Killeen Castle

The recent hugely successful Harvest Festival in Dunshaughlin is one of the more obvious legacies of the staging of the Solheim Cup at nearby Killeen Castle in 2011.

The festival was originally established to provide entertainment for visitors to the international golfing event, and has evolved into the community-led event that it is today, providing a great boon to the commuter town that previously had no major marquee attraction.

It is what the promoters of the Púca Festival hope will continue to happen around Trim and Athboy too.

So the news that Killeen Castle will host the Irish Challenge in both 2025 and 2027 is another welcome announcement, as the next generation of golfing stars initially visit from 7th to 10th August 2025.

Killeen Castle Golf Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, has hosted prestigious events such as that Solheim Cup, where Europe triumphed over the United States 15-13. The venue has also been home to multiple Ladies Irish Opens and numerous PGA events. The visit to Killeen Castle is part of the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca International Schedule. The top 20 players on the Road to Mallorca Rankings at the conclusion of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final will earn DP World Tour playing privileges for the 2026 season.

In memory of one of Irish golf's most beloved and sadly missed figures, the highest-placed Irish player will be awarded the Christy O’Connor Jr Memorial Trophy and receive an invitation to the Amgen Irish Open.

The last player from the island of Ireland to graduate from the Challenge Tour was Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin, who hails from the same golf club as Rory McIlroy, after finishing tenth on the 2022 Rankings.

Jamie Hodges, Challenge Tour Director, says: “The historic venue offers one of the finest parkland golfing experiences in Ireland, and our members will relish the opportunity to compete on the Championship Course. The rebirth of the Irish Challenge has been ongoing since 2015, and we are delighted to provide the next generation of golfing talent in Ireland with opportunities to play on the Challenge Tour.

“We give special thanks to everyone at Killeen Castle for all their help and hospitality. Through our collective partnership and teamwork, our members will be treated to a first-class tournament and an event that will be eagerly anticipated on the Road to Mallorca schedule.”

Navan man Cormac Ryan, director of golf and hospitality operations at Killeen Castle, says: “We are thrilled to host the 2025 Irish Challenge, which highlights the exceptional quality of our Championship Course. Our team is very proud of the high standards we maintain across the resort and we look forward to welcoming the world’s top emerging golf talent to compete on one of Ireland’s finest parkland courses.”

Philip Rock, general manager of Killeen Castle, adds: “This event not only reinforces our status as a premier golf destination but also showcases the growth and development of our estate. Our luxurious lodge style guest accommodation in Hunters Yard offers players and guests a comfortable and stylish retreat, further enhancing their experience here.”

Martin Donnelly, business development manager with Fáilte Ireland, adds: “Hosting the 2025 Irish Challenge is hugely important for Irish tourism because it gives us the opportunity to showcase everything that is special about a golfing holiday on the island. Ireland is world-renowned for its world class golf holiday experience and the fact we welcome over 220,000 golf tourists each year is testament to this. Killeen Castle Golf Course is one of the Island's finest parkland courses and the Fáilte Ireland team is looking forward to working with the team in this historic venue and the Challenge Tour team, to make next year’s Irish Challenge a superb event for everyone involved.”

The European Challenge Tour was first established in 1989, and the first winner of the Challenge Tour Rankings was England's Neal Briggs. Since that first season many of the world's finest players have competed on what is now widely considered to be Europe's top developmental tour: Thomas Bjørn (1995), Justin Rose (1999), Tommy Fleetwood (2011), Brooks Koepka (2013), Tyrell Hatton (2013), Matt Fitzpatrick (2014), Ryan Fox (2016), Robert Macintyre (2018), Adrian Meronk (2019), Nicolai Hojgaard (2019) and Rasmus Hogjaard (2019) are all former Challenge Tour players.

The announcement will no doubt bolster Killeen owner Joe O'Reilly's efforts to attract a €30 million investment partner to complete the development of the restored castle building as a hotel.