WATCH: Former Finance Minister - Pro-Am 'the most unbelievable experience'
FORMER Finance Minister and European Commissioner Charlie McCreevy has hailed the JP McManus Pro-Am as "the most unbelievable experience".
And he added that Adare Manor is "the place to be" this week.
Mr McCreevy, who served in the Dail between 1997 and 2004 and introduced some of the low-tax policies synonymous with the Celtic Tiger years, took part in a round with Thomas Bjørn, former Munster star Keith Wood and Michael O'Flynn.
"This is the most unbelievable experience if you are in any way interested in sport. It's the place to be. There is no event like this anywhere ever - and I've been at a lot of events," the Kildare man said.
Staying on the grounds of Adare Manor with friends, the ex-Fianna Fail TD said: "It's a really special place as you well know."
"This event and the whole experience of Adare Manor is of enormous benefit to Limerick and the Mid-West economy. It gives Ireland and particularly the Mid-West region a great profile," said Mr McCreevy.
The former Finance Minister - who once described a Kildare football win as "better than sex" - predicted a very tough game for Limerick in the All-Ireland senior hurling final.
"It's going to be an entertaining final. Never write off Kilkenny though. People are going on about the fact Limerick were so dominant in last year's championship and gave the best All-Ireland final display probably since the great Kilkenny teams did it on a few occasions [in the 00s]. The performance of Limerick in last year's final was on a par, if not better than that," he added.
Largely retired since 2010, Mr McCreevy admits he played more golf during his time in the Department of Finance and the European Commission.