Ireland help needed...

[Garrett McKnight]

I'm leading a group of 16 to Ireland in June. We are staying in Portrush and Sligo.

I need some help regarding pubs and places to eat while there.

Any help with this would greatly appreciated.

We are playing:
Both at Royal Portrush
Royal County Down
Ballyliffin - Glashedy
Co. Sligo
Carne
Enniscrone

[David_Tepper]

Check out the Ramore Wine Bar on the harbor in Portrush. It includes both a casual and more formal restaurant.

http://www.ramorerestaurant.com/

[JMEvensky]

I need some help regarding pubs and places to eat while there.

Any pub with a lot of Irish people in it is a great pub.They're all Doak 9's or 10's.

[Martin Toal]

The Bushmills Inn is also worth a thought. Pretty near Portrush in the village with the distillery of the same name. Decent food and a nice bar. Also used to having visiting golfers.

http://www.bushmillsinn.com

[Bill Brightly]

As a Yank who has been to Ireland three times, here are my thoughts:

1) Great trip, you will love it.
2) When done playing Royal County Down, you will wish you scheduled two rounds there. (So you will immediately begin planning your next trip...)
3) I preferred Ballyliffin Old.

[Ted Harris]

Darren Clarke is known to hang out here :

http://www.bayviewhotelni.com/food_drink.php

[Ally Mcintosh]

Belmullet:

Drink in McDonnells
Eat in the clubhouse (best clubhouse grub in Ireland) or Talbots or the Phoenix Chinese restaurant.

[Bill_McBride]

Two thoughts:

First, sorry to see you are skipping Castlerock, it's a terrific links just north of Portrush. 

Second, there is a really good Chinese restaurant in Coleraine called the Watergarden.  The food overall in Northern Ireland is pretty uninspiring (for the love of God, NEVER order a Caesar salad!), so we chose to have two meals there during a three night stay.  The other night we met Wardo and his hoodlums at the wine bar in Portrush.  The drinks were okay. 

[Simon Holt]

I second Ramores.  The Harbour Bar underneath it is a good old spit and saw dust pub with a good atmosphere.  Kelly's nightclub if you want to see the sights.

The Anchor in Portstewart is of the some mould as the Harbour Bar.

Mourne Seafood bar in Belfast is fantastic.  I think they have a place down near Newcastle too.  http://www.mourneseafood.com/

[Carl Johnson]

PORTRUSH  Based on a June/July 2011 visit as one of a group of eight American golfers.

(1)  55 Degrees North, excellent food, ambiance and service.

(2) Ramore Wine Bar.  There are a bunch of Ramore restaurants in the building.  I recall the Wine Bar is on top.  In any case, it is really more of a restaurant than wine bar.  Order your food and drinks at the counter, and pay then and there.  Carry your drink to your table.  A server will bring the food later.  Took us a while to figure that out.  After dinner I went upstairs to a night club place.  Great non-Irish music - "rock" - I was an "oldster" there, but bought a beer and took in the atmosphere.  Fun.  The folks I spoke with were very friendly.

(3)  Harbor Bistro, on the lower level of the building complex, also part of the Ramore group.  I'd recommend it too.  There is a Ramore Asian restaurant in the building - we did not go there, so can't tell you about that.

(4)  Great Irish music pub - Springhill Bar.  This place was lots of fun, and we met friendly and interesting locals.  They may not have live music every night, but that's what you want to look for.  I could tell you a good story about some folks I met, but it's personal.  I hope you can find your own (good personal story).

(5)  We stayed three nights at the Ramada.  The restaurant was nothing really special, but the food was very good and the servers friendly.  You could not go wrong with a meal there.

In sum.  Go out.  Don't just buy booze and drink in your room.

P.S.: Good luck herding 16.