I don't know if it has been discussed, but I am reading Tom Coyne's book which describes how he WALKED from course to course and played his way around Ireland over a 16 week period. It is a great read.
Here is what he wrote about Carne, Eddie Hackett's last design:
"Eddie Hackett wasn't a man for frills, so I'll keep my praise as honest as his handiwork. Carne was brilliant. Simply brilliant. Front, back, first hole, last--every mound, every swale, every inch of the place was special. (I understand) what Mr. Hackett was talking about when he called Carne the greatest course canvas he had ever been given. It was dropped smack in the heart of lovely Irish nowhere. No hotels to catch your eye, no traffic to rattle your focus, no summer homes stuck to the side of a glen like they might crash down on your fairway. We got lost in Carne, wonderfully so, and for all its blind shots I never felt tricked. I had never played a golf course that felt as wild but played as fair as Carne."
I also was fascinated to learn that many Irish courses were built on on "commenage," land utilized by many with no rightful owner. Coyne plays Mulranny, a nine hole course where the land is shared by farmers. Here is what he writes:
"To knock your ball along a stretch of seaside turf that you are sharing with donkeys, sheep cows and horses was an absolute treat, a throwback to the way the game was originally played, on pastures shared with one's herd, where the first ruling was made and the first relief taken from a steamy horse-made hazard. It was the horses that made the fences a necessity, as hooves on damp turf could turn the lovely links into a pitted disaster. So three rings of barbed wire were posted to protect each putting surface. Play to the green, open the gate, go on in and putt, don't forget to close the gate on your way out. And if you hit the wires or fence posts, local rule said you had the option to play your shot again. "
Pretty cool, huh?