It’s been another year of progress for Olivia Costello so far as the young
Roscommon Town golfing star goes from strength to strength. The 18 year
old has already won the Irish Girls title in 2026, she finished third in the
Women’s Open and just last weekend she won the Castletroy Scratch Cup
for the second year in a row.
Olivia will be playing for Ireland this year in the various international
competitions and she has set the Junior Solheim Cup as a target for later
in the year. She will then set sail for the USA in 2027 when she starts a
four year stint with the prestigious Louisiana State University.
Her rise through the ranks over the years has been supported by local
businessman Gerry McNulty who says that he is delighted to have been
able to help Olivia on her journey.
I asked Gerry how did the association with Olivia start? “I’d say that Olivia
was 13 or 14 at the time. I was looking out the window of my own house
over at the Golf Club, and I was looking at this young girl out practicing and
was wondering what type of a person would be out in rain and wind and
snow. I saw her morning, noon and night out practicing. I made a few
enquiries as to who she was. So I made contact with her dad Mike and
that’s how it started.”
“Even at that young age Olivia was a super golfer but how she has
exploded onto the scene over the past few years is plain for everyone to
see. She is going from strength to strength and there is lots more to come
too.”
Gerry says that it is a great honour for him to be able to help Olivia out.
“I’m delighted that I am able to help out someone from my own town. Olivia
is a Rossie through and through and it is great to come over to the club
and see the silverware that Olivia brings to the club on a regular basis.”
“I have to say I’m honoured to be able to help out Olivia financially. Going
forward she has a big future ahead of her and I will be delighted to say that
I was able to give her a helping hand over the years. “
Gerry is a well known businessman and he employs many locals in his
furniture stores. “This October we will be 39 years in Roscommon so that’s
a good few years in the local area and it has been great thankfully.“
Olivia says that the sponsorship from Gerry McNulty has been so
important to her in her development as a player. “My coach has a poster
outside his office that says ‘talent is nothing without opportunity’ and there
is no doubt that without Gerry’s help I would not be able to do the things
that I have been able to so far, like playing in the various tournaments and
playing in Europe and abroad. “
Olivia has had a superb year so far and is looking ahead. “I have been
working a lot with my coach (Shane O’Grady) in recent months and I go to
him regularly and we work on various parts of my game to build up
confidence.”
“I am going to play in a couple of championships here in Ireland over the
next few months and there are team competitions coming up too. The
European Women’s Championships are in Ireland this summer (Slieve
Russell) so it would be nice to play in that. The home internationals are
later in the summer and the Junior Solheim Cup will be held in the
Netherlands in September, and that’s another aim”
Looking further ahead, Olivia is looking forward to her trip to the USA.
“This time next year I’ll only have a few months to go before I go to the
states. I’m really looking forward to my stint at LSU and it will be another
step on the ladder and ultimately to turn professional would be the long
term aim“
Olivia says that the dedication and hard work that she puts in to her
game is required if one is to have a chance to succeed. “When you are
from Ireland during the winter the conditions mean that you don’t play a lot
of golf and the days are short too so you have to keep working hard to
prepare for the summer season.”
Gerry McNulty finishes our conversation with a rallying call. “I think we
will have much more to come from Olivia. There will be some great nights
to come in Roscommon.” he concluded.
(from Roscommon People Thursday 28th May)
