From WB Yeats to JM Synge to Belfast’s Louis MacNeice, the West of Ireland has held a special place in the heart of many of our greatest writers, and it will forever hold a special place in one of our greatest sportsmen’s heart after Rory McIlroy was married in the beautiful Ashford Castle in Mayo this weekend.

As the saying goes, behind every great man is a great woman and Erica Stoll will be the woman behind Rory for the foreseeable future, as the couple married in a lavish celebration, rumoured to cost anything from €250,000 to €1m.

Golfers that attended included Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, while celebrities such as Niall Horan, Jamie Dornan and Ed Sheeran were present. The legendary Stevie Wonder sang at the wedding, while €50,000 worth of fireworks were used during the day.

“I’ll come back to the Players refreshed and a married man and start a new chapter in my life,” McIlroy said, as he heads off to honeymoon in Barbados.