Ireland golf and touring question

[Carl Johnson]

My wife and I will visit the Republic of Ireland (myself for the first time) late this summer (2010).  She does not play golf but doesn't mind if I go off on my own occasionally as long as she has something interesting to do.  Any suggestions on a couple of courses I could play that are very near sites or sights my wife might like, such as museums, castles, historic (nonmilitary) buildings and parks, gardens, etc. would be appreciated.  The primary purpose of this trip is, clearly, not golf.  I am not looking for "must play" or "trophy" courses, just decent courses that are reasonably priced, where I would be well received and that are very convenient to attractions my wife might like.  Regretably, we know little about Ireland, but hope to cure that deficit this summer.

[Jud_T]

Lots to do in and around Dublin for her and you can play some great courses in Portmarnock and the Island Club. 

[Bill_McBride]

Lots to do in and around Dublin for her and you can play some great courses in Portmarnock and the Island Club. 

Ditto for Belfast, where there are "black taxi" tours of the sites of the Troubles.  There is great golf not far away, Royal County Down, Royal Belfast, Belvoir Park.....Continental flies in non stop from Newark.

[Dub_ONeill]

I would second Dublin as the easiest solution.  Royal Dublin Golf Club is another possibility, although i would pick Portmarnock and the Island ahead of it.  You could also sneak an hour or so north and play Baltray while your better half is making a day of it in Dublin.

[Rory Connaughton]

Also agree on Dublin.  Portmarnock hotel and Links is also a worthy links course right adjacent to Portmarnock Golf Club and just south of The Island.  When in Dublin go to the GPO, site of the Easter Rising and the Declaration of Independence, Kilmainham Gaol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilmainham_Gaol),Dublin Castle, Trinity College etc etc etc.  If you want to take a day trip, drive south into Tipperary and visit The Rock of Cashel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Cashel) and drive a short distance north to County Meath and visit Newgrange,a prehistoric burial site that predates the Pyramid at Giza by 500 years and Stonehenge by 1000 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgrange).  There is also terrific horse racing (both flat and hunt) close by and your trip would not be complete without taking in a Gaelic Football or Hurling match at Croke Park or in one of the adjoining counties.

[Tim Johnson]

Carl
Where in Ireland are you planning to be?

[Jason Topp]

I would think the combination of the Cliffs of Moher and Lahinch would be a must on your trip. 

[Padraig Dooley]

I would think the combination of the Cliffs of Moher and Lahinch would be a must on your trip. 

I agree with Jason, the scenery on the West Coast, The Burren, Cliffs of Moher, some traditional pubs and The Ring of Kerry can be combined easily with golf at Lahinch, Doonbeg, Ballybunion, Tralee, Waterville etc.

[Carl Johnson]

Carl
Where in Ireland are you planning to be?

Tim, we have not gotten that far in planning yet.  We will definitely be spending time in Dublin, and definitely not going to Northern Ireland.  We also want to travel outside of Dublin as well.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Carl

[Bart Bradley]

Carl
Where in Ireland are you planning to be?

Tim, we have not gotten that far in planning yet.  We will definitely be spending time in Dublin, and definitely not going to Northern Ireland.  We also want to travel outside of Dublin as well.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Carl

Carl:

Where is home?

I have travelled with my family to Ireland 3 times.  While Dublin is a nice city, with some interesting cultural attractions, the true joy of Ireland for my family is the west.  Rugged, beautiful, friendly.  Driving in Ireland is not easy and is very, very slow...you cannot fathom how long it will take you to go anywhere until you have been there.  I honestly would recommend flying into Shannon airport in the west and seeing the beauty of western Ireland.  Jason hit the nail on the head....Clifden, Lahinch, the Ring of Kerry, Dingle...at least for me, these are the unique and fascinating places of Ireland.  Dublin is not that different from other large metropolitan areas...so if home exposes you to big city culture, skip Dublin and go to the West.  I will be happy to share details of our trips ...if you are interested, send me an IM.

Have a great time,

Bart

[Scott Warren]

While in Dublin, the Kilmainham Jail tour is a must - perhaps the best tourist thing I have done anywhere behind the Third Reich walking tour of Berlin.

But a day or two is enough time to see Dublin, IMO.

I would second any suggestion to play County Louth (Baltray), but your wife is unlikely to find four hours of entertainment in Drogheda. It's really not far north of Dublin though - only took us about half an hour from the airport.

Co. Wicklow - 1hr or so south of Dublin - has some beautiful scenery and towns, but I wouldn't recommend either The European Club or Druids Glen at the prices they charge in summer. Tony Muldoon has spoken highly of the golf course at Arklow, which is good value.

[Kevin Pallier]

A trip to Ireland is not complete without a trip to Dublin to see the sights and sounds - you could golf in Portmarnock and your wife visit the city incl. a visit to the Guiness Factory plus I'd recommend one take in the tour at Trinity College and see the Book of Kells

Newgrange isn't far from Drogheda and one could play Baltray ?

[Tim Pitner]

Carl,

I think you'll enjoy Dublin--yes, it's a big city, somewhat similar to other big cities, but it has a lot of character. 

Assuming you'll play at least one or two of the Dublin-area clubs and are looking to play elsewhere, I would recommend Lahinch.  A trip to Lahinch will allow you to see the Cliffs of Moher and the combination of course and town in Lahinch is superior to Ballybunion or anywhere else in the southwest.  It would also put you within shouting distance of Dingle, Killarney/Kenmare and some of the other recommended sights. 

I didn't catch how much time you will have in Ireland.  IMO, two weeks would be ideal for a trip combining some of the SW and Dublin.  It could be done in less time, but if you only have one week, you might be better off staying in one region or the other.

[J_ Crisham]

Carl,  Just a simple suggestion: Consider staying in the town of Killarney and using this as a a base for day trips. I have done this many times and found you have very solid golf within 1hours drive. There is a great establishment called The Killeen House just outside of town that has great food and very nice rooms. Another very enjoyable city is in the West, Galway .  Some good but not great golf closeby but good shopping for your wife and some very good restaurants as well. I would add that some of the prettiest vistas in all of Ireland are on the golf courses. My wife, a nongolfer, has enjoyed walking along many of them with me. I have been traveling to Ireland since 1976 and would say that the people are just grand! They are most welcoming to Americans. Have a fun trip,
                                                                                                                                Jack

[Bill Gayne]

I don't know you or your wife but if it was me I would go to West Clare, Kerry, and Cork. Start at Doolin on a Thursday night and work your way south to Kinsale.

[mike_malone]

 We enjoyed the ride from Dingle out to the Blasket Island experience. Along the way are a few beehive huts. I have never played Dingle so can't speak to it. Newgrange is an awesome place to go with Baltray nearby as Kevin asked.  We also enjoyed Skellig Michael's tourist center; the day did not allow boating to the Islands.This would allow Waterville.

   This gets me to ask whether Castlegregory ever was expanded from 9 to 18.

[Brett_Morrissy]

HI Carl,

The previous few posts from Mike, Bill and Jack, I am in total agreeance.

A week or two spent on the west coast is just beautiful - I was sans wife, but she would have loved walking the courses, they are incredible and give a great sense of the coastline. meeting the locals in the pubs and around the place is what will make a great trip.

As we were teeing off at lahinch around 4pm in the afternoon, there must have been 2,000 people on the beach, swimming, sunbaking, walking, flying kites, reading a book - seaside town - and the golf is not bad either!
BM

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Carl,

Just a few suggestions:

Sligo area - Co. Sligo Golf club (Rosses Point, Harry Colt design), Strandhill Golf Club and Enniscrone. Very nice scenery (Ben Bulbin mountain) , nice little town and Drumcliff where W.B. Yeats is buried. Maybe not a whole lot to do here, but I don't know the area so well. It's a nice place to stay for a night or two.

Galway City - Galway Golf Club (Alister Mackenzie design; not a trophy course, but nice), Galway Bay golf course (Christy O'Connor design; supposed to be ok). Galway is a nice city to wander around; little shops, crafts, Claddagh area, McDonagh's Fish & Chips, traditional Irish music.

Connemara area - Connemara Golf Club (Eddie Hackett design). Clifden is the town to base yourself in. Connemara is in the Gaeltacht, so you'll hear people speaking Irish (Gaeilge). Wonderful scenery!

Clare - Lahinch Golf Club (OTM, Gibson, Mackenzie, Hawtree). Cliffs of Moher and the Burren (check up on this as it's an amazing landscape unique to Co. Clare). The home of traditional Irish music.

Dónal.

[Ally Mcintosh]

You want the city, fly to Dublin (plus IM me and maybe we can hook up for golf)...

Preferably, I would fly to Shannon and do the following tourist things - Head north, go to Bunratty Traditional village, The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren... Stay and play in Lahinch... then go to Galway city, have a drink in Neactains, head out to Connemara and Roundstone...

That is the barren treeless option... For me, it is my favourite part of Ireland...

Otherwise head south from Shannon and do Dingle, Kenmare and West Cork... Fit in a round at Ballybunion or Dooks...

[Dan Kelly]

I would think the combination of the Cliffs of Moher and Lahinch would be a must on your trip. 

I agree with Jason, the scenery on the West Coast, The Burren, Cliffs of Moher, some traditional pubs and The Ring of Kerry can be combined easily with golf at Lahinch, Doonbeg, Ballybunion, Tralee, Waterville etc.

Mostly agreed -- but in the tourist season, I wouldn't bother with the Cliffs. Too much traffic. Too many fellow-gawkers. Beautiful, yes, but not more satisfying, at least to me, than just motoring around the west more or less aimlessly.

[Richard Phinney]

The previous posts are spot on.  However, it got me thinking as to where you can go in Ireland where there is golf and a world class tourist site in exactly the same place.   The only place I could think of was Powerscourt and it's impressive gardens, near Dublin.  So if you are dragged there remember there are two decent parkland golf courses on the same site, one by Mclay Kidd,  built to pay for the upkeep of the estate.

[Pete Lavallee]

Strange, Carl asked for recommendations on non Top 100 golf courses and not one has been recommended. Muskerry, very close to Blarney, was quite good and well worth the effort to play; the local attreaction there being quite obvious. When pressed to make a recommendation on a quaint local course Ran chose Nairn and Portnoe (sp?). Again, plan for 3X the normal driving time; a 60 mile trip could very well take 3 hours. it is not uncommon to have the only highway to where you are going clogged with a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle; all part of the wonderful experience called Ireland.

[Mark Smolens]

Went to a fraternity brother's wedding in Mullingar in 1983.  The bride and groom honeymooned up in Sligo (we had played Rosses Point a few days before the wedding).  We hit six irons off the Cliffs of Moher -- to the delight of a busload of Japanese tourists -- and played Lahinch that afternoon, so they're fairly close.  I'm told the Waterford factory tour is worth the time, but haven't done that on any of my three trips across the pond.  It was bad enough giving up two days of golf for the wedding (tho the parkland layout in Mullingar was lots of fun).

[Bart Bradley]

Mark:

The Waterford factory tour was fun!  Are they still doing it?  My family likes factories and how they work, so we may be outliers.  Overall however, that part of Ireland held less interest for my family than the West.

Bart