Portmarnock Golf Club will seek government support for a formal approach to The R&A regarding the possibility of staging The Open Championship or Women's Open at some point in the future.
The Open was last held on the island of Ireland in 2019 when Shane Lowry won the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush and it will return to the County Antrim venue in 2025.
Speaking during last month's Irish Open at The K Club, Rory McIlroy believes the R&A are "seriously looking" at staging the Open Championship outside the UK for the first time.
"I think they are seriously looking at it. I think it would be fantastic," McIlroy said.
"I was looking forward to Portrush but [concerned] in terms of how it would do commercially; there's so many other considerations to hosting a major championship apart from it being a great golf course.
"There has to be a lot of stuff that makes sense, but having a course that's so close to a major city, so close to a major airport, having a great golf course, I think it would be amazing."
Portmarnock is eligible to stage R&A events after voting in 2021 to admit women members for the first time in its history, with nine women elected as full members in December last year.
The north Co Dublin links will host the 121st Women's Amateur Championship next year and now they are exploring the opportunity to bring two more prestigious events to the venue at some point in the future.
And Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly believes hosting these events at Portmarnock would be another boost for Irish golf, as The Open returns in two years before the Walker Cup comes to Lahinch in 2026 and the Ryder Cup is at Adare Manor the following year.
"Portmarnock is steeped in history and golfing tradition and we welcome their initiative to potentially host the AIG Women’s Open and The Open," says Kennelly.
"This aligns with our vision to amplify Ireland’s footprint in international golf, building upon our successful hosting of prominent tournaments like The Open and the Ryder Cup.
"We are eagerly anticipating more global golf events coming to Ireland in the future."
Minister for Sport Catherine Martin issued a statement of support to the famous Dublin golf club's initiative.
"We welcome today's announcement that there has been contact between Portmarnock Golf Club and the R&A regarding a possible future hosting of The Open and the Women’s Open," said Minister Martin.
"This exciting news has clear potential for sport and tourism on the island of Ireland, and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is open to engaging with the club to assess whether government support would be required to underpin a bid by the club to host such events.
"The Open is the most iconic of all the golf majors and its hosting in Portrush in 2019 was a tremendous success. Its impact was felt all across the island and we look forward to its return to Portrush in 2025."
Portmarnock recently hosted the Men’s Amateur Championship where Mallow native James Sugrue was victorious in 2019 and captain Niall Goulding is excited about the opportunity to welcome two major events to their club.
"The club has had informal contact with The R&A regarding the possibility of hosting the AIG Women’s Open and The Open at Portmarnock in the coming years," said Goulding.
"Without a detailed survey, it is not possible to verify the ability of the property to act as host to a major championship, given the significant infrastructural requirements of such an event.
"The club has determined that government support would be critical for a project of this magnitude and, consequently, will now approach the relevant government authorities to establish their position on providing support for a formal application by Portmarnock to The R&A to host a major championship."
