Rory McIlroy married Erica Stoll at Ashford Castle near the quiet Mayo village of Cong at the weekend.
The event was a little too subdued for Michael O'Doherty. In a column for the Herald, republished on Independent.ie, the magazine publisher admonished McIlroy for the lack of access given to the Irish media.
O'Doherty's toys were launched out of the pram as he bemoaned that not one photo of the event was made available. He also accused the Northern Irish golfer of having 'disappeared up his own backside' due to his desire for privacy.
No photos, no interviews, even guests were told not to bring mobile phones lest any of them be tempted to put a photo or two up on social media.
It’s obsessive secrecy such as this that makes you wonder if Rory, by all accounts a sensible and polite person, has disappeared up his own backside when it comes to his biggest day.
O'Doherty went on to compare the media access to McIlroy's wedding to that of Brian O'Driscoll and Amy Huberman, who, according to him, 'accommodated the press'.
He also suggested that O'Driscoll is 'no less of a global star than Rory,' a suggestion at which even the rugby great would surely scoff.
The article finished by concluding that McIlroy blew his opportunity to reciprocate the respect which, O'Doherty says, the Irish media shows to celebrities.
The Irish media tend to be good to their stars. Sure, they show a sometimes unhealthy obsession with their private lives, but on the whole they tend to respect their privacy, rarely print negative stories and in return ask that the respect be reciprocated.
Rory had a chance to do just that last weekend and blew it.
Many, including Gary Lineker and Paul Kimmage, who writes for the Sunday Independent, have been highly critical of the article.
Truly pathetic piece. https://t.co/tGC6MxGKmY
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) April 25, 2017
Absolute shite.https://t.co/u2EyOjei6r
— Paul Kimmage (@PaulKimmage) April 25, 2017
Utter nonsense. https://t.co/vDm080c7IQ
— Iain Carter (@iaincartergolf) April 25, 2017
Apparently, wanting a private wedding means McIlroy has "disappeared up his own backside".
Total nonsense. https://t.co/qlAa4fUfQu— Richard Innes (@bigrichinnes) April 25, 2017
Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
