The Epic Journey to The 148th Open

The Epic Journey to The 148th Open celebrates the prestigious Championship’s historic return to Northern Ireland in almost 70 years at Royal Portrush this July.

The celebratory tour, coordinated by Tourism Northern Ireland, rolled into Dublin as part of its 500-mile journey, visiting every county in Northern Ireland and the city of Dublin. The local Dublin community, from businesses, schools, golf clubs and sports fans joined the buzz at Custom House Quay in Dublin on Thursday 23rd May.

The event in Dublin built the excitement and pride in welcoming golf’s original Championship, with an opportunity to win coveted tickets to The Open. Unprecedented demand from fans wanting to attend The Open has led to record-breaking ticket sales and the Championship will be a sell-out for the first time in its history.

It is truly an epic year for NI as The Open at Royal Portrush will be beamed live to over 600 million households across the world. It is set to attract more than 215,000 eager spectators, with a team of 6,000 staff and 350 volunteers warmly welcoming visitors.

Fiona Cunningham, ROI Market Manager at Tourism NI, said, “The 148th Open is the biggest event that Northern Ireland has ever held and we are delighted to be able to bring a part of it to Dublin and celebrate its return, engaging the community and golfing fans alike. It is building up to be a great occasion and The Epic Journey is a powerful and fun way to take the excitement on the road. The Championship is set to leave a lasting legacy, and visitors are encouraged to soak up the huge buzz before, during and after the global sporting event visits our shores.”

The Epic Journey to The 148th Open tour brought Rory McIlroy’s Claret Jug from his win at Royal Liverpool in 2014 to Dublin. Along with a giant #TheOpen letter sculpture, designed by Tourism NI and made of 4,000 golf balls, unveiled by global golfing hero and Champion Golfer, Rory McIlroy, last October.

Rory McIlroy commented: “The Open returning to Portrush is massive for Northern Ireland, everyone is so excited and is getting behind it. I never thought I would have the opportunity to play in a major championship at home and I’m really looking forward to it. You can really feel the buzz already, it’s going be a fantastic year as we get ready to welcome The Open for the first time in over half a century.”

Fans can still book their place at Royal Portrush on Championship Days with a limited number of new official hospitality packages remaining on sale as well as Practice Day tickets. Visit http://www.TheOpen.com/Tickets.

At each location of ‘The Epic Journey to The 148th Open’ campaign, 2 x tickets can be won for a Championship day at The Open 2019. You must snap a photo or take a video of the #THEOPEN letters and share it on social media using the hashtags #TheOpen #Discover NI to enter the competition.

Full T&C’s are available at http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/epicjourney