What's Real
Sometimes the real Ireland is the very place you miss while you are racing around the country trying to find it.
Right of way…
Due to a car rental company snafu, the car rented by my friend, Frank, was not the station wagon we expected, but rather a sporty little Alfa Romero. Perhaps such sport was best suited for another time and place for our sporty little gem overheated and died in the middle of the Irish countryside, on one of those little roads that although built for two-way traffic, the growth on the sides of the road was hitting both side-view mirrors at the same time. Initially, a friendly farm dog came to our immediate aid, providing us with pleasant company (if one could overlook the dog’s apparent pastime of rolling in cow manure). Soon, however, our pathetic state was recovered by a welcoming farmer named Jules, who almost immediately declared that he would tie our hunk-of-junk up to his tractor and tow us into the village, as though he had awoken that morning with such on his “To Do” list.
Jules, to our rescue
The delightful village was little more than a pub and a single pump petrol station, but the proprietor, Mary, was as warm and accommodating as Jules and she set about to find a cab to take us to the Lahinch Golf Club. Not withstanding dear Mary’s efforts, no cabs serviced such a remote area, but before we let out a sigh, the driver of the flat-bed truck dispatched to collect our car, was clearing our space by brushing away rubbish from the seat. Path forged, our chariot was ready for deliverance and off we went motoring down more narrow roads in a truck twice the size of the space provided.
Frank and I endured the experience with good humor, and the recounting in this forum is intended to illustrate the selfless charity of spirit we met every step along our fractured path.
As great golf courses, luxurious accommodations, delicious meals and interesting culture can be found at many destinations around the world, it is the Irish people that make a golfing holiday to Ireland so special and unique.
We arrived at Lahinch Golf Club (www.LahinchGolf.com) three hours late and chuckled when the rest of our party simply shrugged and commented that they accounted our absence to our shopping for souvenirs in the golf shop.
6th Hole at Lahinch
Lahinch is commonly referred to as the “St Andrews of Ireland,” and with good reason. Lahinch Golf Club seems to sit in the middle of the town and shares a formidable lineage to the Old Course, as Lahinch was originally designed by St Andrews’ most famous son, Old Tom Morris. Later modifications were designed by Dr. Alistair MacKenzie. Lahinch sits on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, making the course subject to its fickle temperament. Lahinch embraces a raw and rugged links golfing experience. It is beautiful, challenging and unique. At a par of 72, it stretches out to 6,950 yards.
Eugene’s Pub, Ennistimon
As “Murphy’s Law” was invented in Ireland, good ole’ Murphy made his presence felt at Lahinch. The day was brilliantly sunny and warm throughout our broken down car ordeal, but within minutes of our tee time, it began to rain so hard that the animals began to pair. We made it through four holes before the hail drove us whimpering back to the clubhouse for refuge. However, the time was well spent for Alan Reardon, Lahinch’s Secretary/Manager, could not have taken better care of us, even insisting that we accompany him to nearby by Ennistimon to revel in the splendor of Eugene’s Pub. The proprietor, Eugene McNamara greeted us like family (noticing a trend?) and after enjoying more and staying longer than we should have, we set back to Lahinch, where we checked into the Vaughan Lodge.
Himself, Michael Vaughan, honored us with his company at dinner along with Mr. Reardon. Enjoying a splendid meal, replete with fine wine and copious stories of golf and life (if there is a difference), the evening distinguished itself as a highlight of our sojourn. Perhaps embolden by the rack of lamb, Alan Reardon challenged the assemblage that if we have the heart for it, he would put us first off the tee the following morning to complete what we had started earlier that day. My friend Geoff and I leapt at the chance, knowing that no measure of sleep deprivation or dehydration could justify this life’s opportunity missed.
The breathtaking Cliffs of Moher, near Lahinch
The appointed hour arrived rather abruptly and the chilly walk down the hill to the links did little to limber my back or clear the nest of cob webs that had taken up residence in my head. Alan Reardon sat behind the greeting desk, looking so chipper and clear headed that for a moment I had to question if he was in fact a member of our party the evening before. “Did you enjoy yourself last evening, Mr. Reardon?” said I. “How could I have done otherwise?” he pleasantly retorted as he guided us to the first tee (the Irish are masters of answering a question with a question).
Our entirely self administered physical discomfort was quickly dispelled the moment we put a tee in the ground. The still rising sun cast ethereal shadows off the craggy humps and mounds that seem to embody the image of the course’s original designer and I was lost in a reverie of awe over the splendor to behold. Our round continued in such a heightened state as Lahinch, one of the greatest and most respected links courses in the world, lay empty and waiting for us to forge the day’s first path.
O'Brien Castle ruins near the 12th Hole, Lahinch
Afternoon saw us off to Doonbeg Golf Club (www.DoonbegGolfClub.com) to experience the Greg Norman designed links course. We were hosted by the man who expertly crafted our itinerary, Paddy O’Looney of Swing Golf Ireland (www.SwingGolfIreland.com) and Michael Waters of Doonbeg. Golfing at Doonbeg is often called the “ultimate experience,” because it embodies an exceptionally crafted links golf course, in union with amenities that are copious in scale and luxury. Doonbeg was opened on July 9, 2002 (interestingly enough, featuring an exhibition match between Padraig Harrington and Norman), but the course will convince you that it has been there forever. Norman embraced a “least disturbance” philosophy in designing the course and claims that 14 of its greens and 12 of its fairways were simply mowed. The effect is brilliantly authentic. Perched along the Atlantic and subject to wild variations of winds in both speed and direction, Doonbeg is a thinking-man’s course that measures 6,885 yards, par 72.
14th Hole, Doonbeg
We enjoyed dinner at Doonbeg’s Darby Pub followed by staying the night at one of Doonbeg’s incredible, four-bedroom “cottages”. While our waking hours spent there were brief, this cottage was more accurately a decent sized house, complete with private baths for every room, a huge family room and a full kitchen.
Family Room, Doonbeg
While wanting to linger, our schedule did not permit as much and soon we were racing back down through Limerick, on our way to Adare.
Adare
Greeted by the ruins of both the Desmond Castle and the abbey and the lovely thatched roof houses in the village, Adare is as charming a place as one can find in Ireland. The Adare Golf Club (www.AdareGolfClub.com), opened in 1995 and credited as being the last major golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. is situated on the 840 acre estate of the Adare Manor. The course streches out to 7,453 yards, par 72, and is defined by a 14 acre lake, ancient trees and the meandering River Maigue, that one must cross to reach the par 5, 18th hole.
Adare Manor
Having been on the grounds of the Adare Manor for last spring’s Irish Open, my anticipation was high to play the course I had watched the pros compete on. The experience did not disappoint, for the Adare Manor Golf Course is as good a golf course as I have played anywhere in the world. It is always satisfying when expectation is exceeded by reality.
We did not stay in the majestic Manor house, so I cannot speak to that experience, but we were given a tour and all of the amenities and facilities appeared to be first class.
Wanting to stay near the airport, we set off to play an afternoon round of golf and spend our last night in the Dromoland Castle (www.Dromoland.ie). As the name implies, this former manor home of the O'Brien's is most impressive, indeed. Built on land the O'Brien clan had occupied for over 1,000 years, the Queen Anne period architecture was amazing and second only to the service and luxuries inherent in this full amenity hotel.
Dromoland Castle
The Dromoland golf course was redesigned in 2003 by Joe Carr and Ron Kirby and the results are to a world-class, championship standard. Measuring 6,808 yards and a par of 72, the course sits in a lovely and lush wooded parkland setting. The River Rine flows gently through these royal grounds and provides a formidable obstacle on multiple holes. The 18th hole deserves particular mention as the green is framed by the magnificent castle, providing one the sense that these are the type of golfing experiences one hopes to find in Ireland.
After golf and cleaning up in our opulent chambers, we joined Dromoland Castle’s John Henir at the hotel’s “The Earl of Thomond” restaurant for an experience that was in keeping with the standard of European royalty that permeates the grounds. We were waited upon by the maître d', Tony Frisby, who impresses not only for his supreme sense of hospitality and service, but for his world-class knowledge of wine.
Interior, Dromoland Castle
The Dromoland Castle was a perfect ending to a perfect trip and given how close it was to the Shannon airport (Shannon Airport is ideally located in southwest Ireland, features multiple flights from the U.S., U.K. and beyond, and is small enough that getting in and out were a breeze), we arrived fully refreshed and ready to jump back into the "real world" of deadlines and responsibilities that awaited our return.
There were two courses we did not get to on this tour (although I have played them before). The first is County Cork’s Fota Island Resort (www.Sheraton.com/FotaIsland), which features three exceptional parkland courses and the five star Sheraton Fota Island Hotel & Spa and the next course is the Ring of Kerry Golf and Country Club (www.RingofKerryGolf.com). The Ring of Kerry Golf and Country Club was designed by Eddie Hackett and plays to 6,820 yards, par 72. Like its namesake the views are as tantalizing as the golf.
Fota Island Resort and Ring of Kerry Golf and Country Club
Settling into my seat for the flight home, I was struck with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was thoroughly astonished, having just completed the golfing tour of a lifetime, and on the other, I was sad to think that the odyssey had come to its close. However, in the balance of things I had found what I had come for; exceptional golf, world-class food, service and accommodations and perhaps even more importantly (and elusive), I had hoped to find a glimpse into an authentic, real Ireland not found in tourist brochures.
I think I did find the real Ireland, only not exactly where I expected it to be. The real Ireland is not simply those things left untouched by the unrelenting march of progress, for the real Ireland lies within the hearts of its people.