One machine sends out the tablets in a blister, it arrives into his machine and then the robot arm pulls the blister and puts it into a carton with the insert which includes the information. Next it will be packaged into a bundle and into a shipper, that gets put onto a pallet and shipped to its destination.
Precision is key for Brian Doran, and the package operator who works on Covid-19 drugs and the birth control pill in Pfizer, has an eye for detail on and off the golf course.
This year he has transformed his golf game, from a point where he almost cut back drastically on his tournament appearances during a poor run of form in April, he has won a Mullingar Scratch Cup, represented Ireland at the European Mid-Amateur Team Championships and just this week, claimed the Bridgestone Men’s Order of Merit.
“My girlfriend and I were lying on the couch on Saturday evening, just looking at TV. We said we would do our top ten reflections for the year. Aoife would try pick my top ten and I would put them in order,” said Doran.
“It sounds mad to even think about it. Driving home in the car on Friday evening, I just said to Aoife, I did it. I don’t know how but I did it.
“It’s a funny game, everyone knows that with golf. Anything can happen in a couple of days never mind a couple of months. It has been an unbelievable year.
“I don’t know how to sum it up. You just have to stay going through the tough times to see can you come out the other end.
“If you said to me you’ll win the tournament in Mullingar, I would have bitten your hand off for it. But to have everything else in between. It’s just been quite surreal to be honest.”
Doran hails from Narraghmore, just outside Kilcullen and was able to avail of the booming Young Masters of Golf in Rathsallagh as a junior.
He was ten years old when he first joined a summer camp along with a few of his friends from the local football club. There were up to 200 juniors playing golf there at the time.
Brendan McDaid was the head professional and he had several assistants working alongside, including Tom O’Neill.
O’Neill is still Doran’s coach to this day, 12 months on from a watershed moment in his golfing career. The Millicent golfer made the decision to put everything into golf in 2024.
“I did a lot of strength and conditioning with Robbie Cannon over the winter, I would have gone to the gym beforehand but it was upper body stuff like every other young lad,” said Doran.
“He put me through my paces with a programme and that stood me well over the course of the year.
“Last year it was made aware to me that my scores in Lahinch and Mullingar weren’t great. It’s not nice seeing your name down at the bottom of the leaderboard.
“I just said to Aoife that I would give it a go this year.”
In doing so, Doran had made himself accountable to someone else and his partner was a huge help as he game rocketed skyward towards the tail end of the year.
Ironically, it was the South of Ireland and Mullingar Scratch Cup that lit a flame that would burn bright en route to securing the Bridgestone Order of Merit.
But first he needed the all important piece of silverware, and his first notable victory since the Woodbrook Scratch Cup in August 2016, arrived exactly eight years later.
“It was never a case of throwing in the towel but I thought going into Cork, if I didn’t do well, I wouldn’t stop altogether but I would cut down the events because I was playing terrible,” said Doran.
“Aoife was very good. She said you said you will give it a go, this is the year. Just to get at it and the hard work paid off. It was good to have her backing as well.
“Then I went to Cork and had a good finish, that was the start of it. But I was happier on the golf course this year, more relaxed than other years. I would be more up tight and thinking about it too much.
“This year it was just hit the ball, find it, hit it again and just try and hole a putt. But I think I just matured a lot on the golf course as I started to play more events and be in contention a bit more. I was in four or five final groups and one second last group for the tournaments I contended in.
“I set out a goal this year to win something. I didn’t know it was going to be a Mullingar Scratch Cup. I just thought just get your hands on a trophy. I was fortunate enough to win Mullingar the week after the South because that would have been a nice one as well.
“I still haven’t thought too much on the year itself, I still have to do my reflection.”
And there was still more to come, after going close in Lahinch and then winning the Mullingar Scratch Cup, Doran contested admirably in Dun Laoghaire, with an eighth-place finish in the AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close.
He was later selected as part of the Irish team for the inaugural European Mid-Amateur Team Championships in France.
“My first event abroad was actually for Ireland in France so that was quite cool,” said Doran.
“I had never golfed outside of Ireland, never even brought the clubs with me. That was quite surreal as well, even getting used to the rough over there.”
When it came to the North of Ireland last week, Doran still had to impress on the Dunluce links in Royal Portrush, and he was consistent once more with a positive finish sealing the Bridgestone Men’s Order of Merit title.
“It was nice in Portrush when it didn’t go my way in the third round to turn it around in the afternoon. I was still proving a bit to myself as well on that note,” said Doran.
“I am fortunate now to be involved in the High Performance panel next year so I am looking forward to that. I want to play more golf abroad.
“But next year, play a bit more of a schedule, play a few more events abroad and get into the bigger events. Give them a go, whatever happens it happens but if you put yourself in a position where you are practising for the winter still putting in the hard hours and giving yourself the best opportunity in events.
“At least we can say we tried, whatever happens happens. My first goal next year is to win a major. I feel like I can now. It’s a funny old game but I feel like my game can be good enough.
“I just need to improve on one or two things over the winter and hopefully give it another go next year.
“Play a bit more of the bigger events, and play a bit more abroad, I’m too old to turn pro.”