This trip took place in mid-October, and my golf mates and I enjoyed pretty spectacular weather for that time of year. To be sure, some days were a tad chilly. But I was sure to layer up properly for each round and even donned a knit cap on occasion. Some of us also decided not to play the Strand Course at Portstewart one afternoon because it was blowing a hoolie and almost impossible to keep a golf ball on a tee. But the skies were mostly clear through the week, and the playing conditions quite reasonable, with temperatures occasionally creeping into the 60s.
Irish golf has a way of charming travelers, and these semi-Irish eyes could not stop smiling after learning about the presence of “divot brigades” at both Enniscrone and Carne. Composed mostly of retired men and women, these member groups walk their respective courses once a week, filling in divots as they go. And when their work is done, they strap their golf bags onto trolleys and head out for their games.
Both of the hotels I visited, the stylish, 89-room Ebrington in Derry, which overlooks the River Foyle and the Peace Bridge that spans it, and Mount Falcon, which is housed in a converted stone castle on a 100-acre estate, boast fully equipped spas offering a variety of treatments. The massages in which I indulged at both places kept me limber and swinging easy. So did the saunas and steams I enjoyed as well.
For many Americans, Ireland is their ancestral home, with visits often connecting them with long-lost relatives, living or dead. Such was the case for my friend and fellow golf writer, Tom Mackin. He knew his maternal grandmother, Mary Anne Gallagher, was born just outside the County Mayo village of Belmullet, where Carne Golf Links is located. But what he could not have possibly foreseen was how a chance meeting with club treasurer John Gallagher would lead to the discovery of the small stone structure where Mary (no apparent relation to John) came into this world in December 1899. In later years, she moved to New Jersey, where she lived out her days before passing away in 1987.
Sometimes, you can go home again. And the lump that grew in Mackin’s throat as he ran his hand across the rugged exterior of the humble abode that once housed a family of five proved just how emotional a return like that could be.
As someone who seems to be constantly – and quite unsuccessfully – trying to catch up on email, I liked that the coach hauling us around featured Wi-Fi that worked quite well. And our indefatigable driver, Kenny, never made a wrong turn. He was also unfailingly helpful when it came to loading and unloading our gear at each stop and even joined us for a round every now and then.
The cuisine was consistently good, too, with the dinners we enjoyed at the Oak Room at the Ebrington and The Kitchen at Mount Falcon standing out for the superb seafood dishes they offered (local lobster, crab, cod and sole) and the outstanding selection of Irish meats (bone-in ribeye steak, beef cheeks, lamb and duck) on the menus. The wine lists dazzled as well, due to the variety and quality of the vintages they offered. And the service was five-star.
As for the most interesting repast of the trip, that would have been the dinner we devoured at the Library in Belleek Castle in Ballina, the highlight of which was the Drunken Bullock Fillet, impaled on a 16th century sword and then flambeed tableside with Jameson whisky.
Per usual, I turned to my friends at North & West Coast Links Golf Ireland for assistance in organizing my trip to Ireland – and for sage advice as to where I should stay, play and dine. The group is also able to arrange whatever off-course activities might interest a traveler, from whisky tastings and salmon fishing expeditions to city tours, shopping excursions and clay pigeon shooting. For more information, check out its website, northandwestcoastlinks.com, or contact its CEO, John McLaughlin, at john@northandwestcoastlinks.com.
John Steinbreder