Ryder Cup cost: Ireland's government blocks report on potential 'embarrassing' figures

The Irish government is facing criticism for attempting to prevent the public release of a report assessing the economic impact of hosting the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor. The Department of Sport is seeking to ban the publication of an EY report commissioned by Fáilte Ireland, raising questions about accountability and transparency.

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If there’s one way to draw attention to something, it’s by going to the High Court to ban publication of it.

This move suggests the report's findings may be financially or politically embarrassing for the government. While the full report remains unpublished, public domain information indicates significant taxpayer investment. In 2019, €31 million was approved for the European Tour, covering a hosting license fee and tour support. By 2023, The Irish Times reported this figure had escalated to €58 million, with further requests for up to €30 million for infrastructure and hospitality.

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This seems like an awful lot of trouble for the Government to go to – unless, of course, the numbers were likely to prove deeply embarrassing.

Excluding an additional €150 million for transport infrastructure, which is considered necessary public spending, the government projects returns of up to €160 million. Organizers anticipate 60,000 overseas visitors, each spending an average of €600 daily during a four-day trip, with US visitors potentially spending €1,000 per day.

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However, by 2023, The Irish Times reported that the figure had risen to a much higher taxpayer expense of €58 million, with a further request – understood to be up to an extra €30 million – that was expected for infrastructure and hospitality needs in Adare, two years later.

However, economists like Victor Matheson caution that such "gross visitor-spend projections" often overestimate actual returns. Matheson's research on similar large-scale events indicates that host regions typically receive only about a quarter of the predicted economic benefits. This discrepancy arises because the projected "new tourists" often displace existing visitors, particularly as September, the event month, falls within the high season.

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The problem with this “gross visitor-spend projection” methodology, which is the same one that was used for the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K-Club, is that the headline amount is rarely realised.