For tens of thousands of people, it is a pinch-yourself-is-this-really-happening moment.

The oldest and greatest championship in golf is being staged in Portrush, a small town on the north Antrim coast; the first time it has been played outside England or Scotland since 1951.

The idea that Northern Ireland could host one of the world’s biggest sports events was unthinkable for those of us who grew up during The Troubles. When I was a boy, the Northern Ireland football team had to play their home matches in England and Scotland for three years because of the sectarian violence.

The Good Friday agreement has permitted an imperfect peace for two decades. It has brought a degree of stability, prosperity and a huge boom in tourism. This week feels like the culmination of all those efforts. No wonder the event sold out within days of tickets going on sale, something The Open has never experienced before.

Deric Henderson has been a member at Royal Portrush for 26 years but reported on The Troubles for even longer as the Ireland editor of the Press Association.

He told me: “It was a grim part of the world. Nobody was coming here. It is hard to take it in. You really have to nip yourself to realise how big this is, how important this is.

“Yes, we still have our issues and our problems. There is still a lot of hurt out there but for this week everybody’s shelling out, letting their hair down and really enjoying the experience.”

Four years ago, when golf’s governing body the R&A announced that Royal Portrush would host the 2019 Open, the event was attended by Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness, then first minister and deputy first minister in the power-sharing executive. The Sinn Fein leader was so excited that he handed me his phone and asked me to take a photo of him holding the famous Claret Jug trophy.

Mr Henderson says Mr McGuinness’s support was crucial. “When this whole idea was mooted McGuinness embraced it immediately, as did the whole Executive. In many ways it was totally inclusive.”

Arlene Foster was an even earlier supporter when she was tourism minister. But Democratic Unionists and Republicans no longer work together in government. Martin McGuinness is dead and Stormont has been in hibernation for two and a half years. Thankfully the groundwork for The Open had already been laid, because the unified political will which helped bring it to Northern Ireland is no longer there.

The R&A’s chief executive Martin Slumbers said it is hypothetical to speculate whether it would have been possible if Stormont had been dysfunctional when key decisions needed to be made.

He said: “They absolutely had an involvement in the beginning and have had up until the last couple of years where obviously it’s been a bit more of a challenge. You can’t stage world class events unless everybody is in line and says, yes that’s what we want to do.

“Some £17.5m of infrastructure has gone into this area to make this happen and that takes a lot of political will.”

The other big factor in bringing The Open across the Irish Sea is Wilma Erskine, the long serving secretary-manager of Royal Portrush. In a sport where women have often struggled for equal status with men, Wilma leaves no-one in any doubt she’s The Boss, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. And while she was pressing Royal Portrush’s claim, another regular Open venue Muirfield, was losing its status because of its refusal to admit female members.

She said: “It was a team effort and maybe people just remember me more, and I just don’t give up. If there’s a will there’s a way. To have the Open Championship come back to little old Northern Ireland…the economic benefit, there’s a real buzz to the whole country.”

While that work was going on behind the scenes, Northern Irish golfers were busy putting the country on the map by winning major tournaments. Graeme McDowell, Portrush born and bred, won the US Open in 2010. Darren Clarke, who lives in Portrush, won The Open in 2011. And Rory McIlory, from Hollywood, who shot a 61 to break the Royal Portrush course record as a 16 year old, won four majors in three years.

Mr McDowell said he feels like an ambassador for his home town and his country. “Listen, the dark days are not very far behind us but thankfully it’s a country, an island that is really coming out of some bad times into some good times. This is the reward for everything we’ve been through and everything we’ve done.”

I get a lump in my throat when I think of how far Northern Ireland has come, and how a town where I spent much of my childhood is going to be seen all round the world. It has been spruced up, and millions of pounds spent on road and rail links.

Royal Portrush Golf Club is also close to my heart. Playing in media events, I’ve experienced the highs and lows, and missed some easy putts. There will also be joy and heartbreak for some of the world’s best golfers this week. But I hope all of them enjoy playing one of the world’s greatest courses in front of fans who have a special reason to appreciate the spectacle.

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