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The Luck of the Irish
  • Kelly Bernakevitch

The Luck of the Irish

Celeste and I are going to Ireland for our first ever overseas golf trip Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 7, 2024
    Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    2
    This is the best wagon1I can do bumper cars by myself1

    Day 1

    September 7, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today we started our vacation and the best way to start is to go to Calaway Park with 2 wonderful granddaughters.
    It was a great day with Uncle Brett and Dad.
    We are all set for the overnight flight

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    1Gaiety Theatre1Anticipation3Celeste and Marilyn at the tea

    Afternoon Tea and Riverdance

    September 8, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Our plane landed early and both our luggage and golf clubs made it to the luggage carousel before we did (Calgary Airport Authority could learn from Dublin on how to quickly deliver luggage)

    Our room was not ready so we popped into the hotel pub for a quick bowl of soup and the inaugural Guinness. After lunch we did a quick walk and then headed back to our hotel to check in.

    We are travelling with our friends Dave and Marilyn Martin and Marilyn wanted to attend an afternoon tea. We went to one of the top places in Dublin for high tea which included scones , a variety of sandwiches and desserts . The tea I had chosen was a whiskey tea and was delicious.

    Afterwards we went to the final show of Riverdance at the Gaiety Theatre. This was an amazing show and the entire group was fantastic. Both the make and female lead dancers took your breath away with their tap performances.

    In the second act they did a tribute to Ukrainian dancing set to Irish music. The Gaiety theatre is a classic small theatre and a perfect venue to see this performance.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    A pond in St. Stephen's Green
    2Molly Malone2Christ Church CathedralDublin CastleIn the barrel room where we had our cask draw2The pub where we had lunch , named after the lady who was Dublin's first serial killerDublin Parliment Buildings

    Hidden Gems of Dublin / Whiskey Tasting

    September 9, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today we did a Geru Free walking tour of Dublin called Discover Dublin and Hidden Gems. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about Dublin and Ireland history.
    We went through St. Stephen’s Green ( a park) past the Parliament buildings, along the famous Grafton Street , the Temple Bar area ( which is a neighbourhood and a bar), Trinity College, Dublin Castle and Christ Church Cathedral plus other points of interest.
    We saw many statues including one of Molly Malone a famous women fish monger who in the morning went with her wheelbarrow to the docks to get fish and mussels and walked around the streets of Dublin selling her fish,and in the evening she was a lady of the oldest profession.

    After our tour we met up with our friends Dave and Marilyn and had a pint of Guinness and a hearty lunch.

    After lunch the girls headed out to listen to some live music at Temple Bar while Dave and I went to Jamison’s for a distillery tour and a 3 whiskey tasting plus a special cask draw sampling .    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    1
    The clubhouse from the 9 th fairwayOn the shore of the Irish SeaNumber 7The finishing holeJust before another terrific driveShawn, Kelly, Colm and DaveComing out sideways

    Portmarnock Golf

    September 10, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Today the we golfed at Portmarnock Golf Course. Before we left for golf we had to check out of our hotel and move to the group hotel as the remaining tour members were flying in as the official tour starts tonight .
    Portmarnock is one of the top 4 courses in Ireland and has held many major tournaments including the British Ladies Amateur this year and The Open Championship in 2033.
    Portmarnock is a true links golf course . A links golf course is defined as the land between the sea and the farm land. It has a long fescue , gorse bushes and lots and lots of bunkers especially pot bunkers .
    The weather was an Irish charm, the morning was rain and mist and the wind blew 30-50 kmh all day. The rain stopped while we were on the front 9 and it was intermittent cloud.
    Each couple booked a double bag caddie, our caddie was Sean a 16 year old who was extremely helpful . Dave and Marilyn’s caddie was Colm a 20 year old plus 3 golfer who plays on the University golf team.
    We both played very well considering the conditions and not having played a lot of links golf . Many of the older UK golf courses do not have a set of forward tees so for Celeste she was playing the same tees as me for about 13 of the holes. This made it very difficult for her as there were some long carries . She did very well and we both ended with the same ball we started with.

    After golf we took a taxi back to Dublin and we joined the group for a welcome cocktail party in the bar next door to our hotel. After the meet and greet we sat in the bar had a pint , listened to the live music and had some pub food for dinner. Ireland has quite the pub culture.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    River Liffey that divides Dublin into north and south
    2One of notorious Kelly's1Water display at GuinnessOne of the characters that were in advertisements of Guinness ,Main square of Trinity College1A view from the bar facing east

    A day of Touring Dublin

    September 11, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    Today was a tour set up with the big group as everyone else came in yesterday so the golf portion does not start until tomorrow.

    The day did not start off the best as the hotel had no hot water in the rooms making trying to take a shower impossible.
    Breakfast was a gong show as there were 2 other big groups departing today and everyone showed up at the same time.

    We boarded a bus and drove around the downtown area as the guide pointed out various point of interest.

    Our first stop was at the Epic Irish Emigration Museum. Over the last century Ireland has had millions of people emigrate to all over the world. The museum focused on the why they moved , where they moved , their culture and famous first and future generations of Irish around the world .

    Our second stop was at Guinness Storehouse which is the original site of the Guinness brewery. We had an excellent tour guide where we learned about the ingredients, sourcing of the ingredients, the entire beer making process and the marketing of Guinness. We had a private tasting followed by a pint in the private bar on the top floor of the Storehouse . The view from the bar was a 360 degree view of Dublin .

    Our final stop was at Trinity College which was established in 1592. Trinity College is Ireland’s oldest university modelled after Cambridge and Oxford. After a tour of the campus we visited the old library which is the home of The Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is Ireland’s most valued treasure which is an illuminated manuscript containing the four Gospels of the New Testament.
    It was amazing to see the Book as well,as the Library . The Library was just as impressive.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    111

    Golfing at County Louth (Baltray)

    September 12, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    Today we had an early morning as we had to be out of our hotel and on the bus by 6:30 am. Let’s just say not totally Celeste’s ideal start time.

    We had an early tee time for our group so we had to be on the road early. The village of Baltray is about 1 1/2 hour drive N.E. of Dublin.

    The course was a challenging course with very undulating fairways with fairly flat slow greens . The course is on the eastern shore of the Irish Sea and once again a very typical links course with high embankments along the ocean and lots of fescue in the roughs . The course had some very narrow shoots in front of the greens as you approached the green, something I had never really seen before on all the courses I have played.

    Celeste and I played with a couple ( Murray and Lorie )who spend their summers in Invermere BC. ( the organizer mixes us up so we play with different members of the group. ) They were very nice to play with. One of the games they are playing on this trip is to find out who loses the most golf balls . Murray was leading after day 1 as he lost 5 balls. Celeste and I did not lose a ball.

    One of the things I did before I came over is have the agent contact each club we are playing and advising them that I am incoming Club Captain of Silver Springs and take over Club Captain Sept 24,2024 and that I would like to present them a gift of a golf flag from Silver Springs to their club captain. The Club Captain in the UK and Ireland is a very prestigious position.

    When we arrived at the course they had 3 members of their Executive waiting our arrival including the Ladies Club Captain and Vice Captain. They had a flag for me and a hat and they wanted to take pictures of us with the presentation of the flags. They even had the Canadian Flag flying on one of the flag poles next to the Ireland Flag,. After our round of golf they had Silver Springs flag hanging in their pro shop . It was all pretty cool.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    On the Protestant side of the Peace Wall
    Catholic side of the wall at one of the many memorialsBobby Sands elected as an MP from jail , died on a hunger strikeCatholic side mural depicting fallen leadersView of Belfast from our hotel room

    Belfast

    September 12, 2024 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    After we finished golfing today at County Louth we boarded the bus to head to Belfast . Along the secondary highway the acreages were very nice , the yards and hedges are so well maintained and the grass is so green.

    After we checked in a group of us signed up for the Belfast Black Taxi Tour of West Belfast . West Belfast was the main area of the “ Ireland Troubles “
    The locals don’t call it a conflict or terrorism but troubles .

    The Catholics and Protestants have been fighting for over 400 years.

    Our taxi driver was extremely knowledgeable about the times and being a senior lived through the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s bombings and shootings.

    We toured both the Catholic and Protestant side of the Peace Wall . The Peace Wall was put up to separate the people and is 7.4 km long . It has been raised 3 times and now stands at 45 feet tall. The first section of the wall is over 3 feet of concrete going quite far down .

    What probably surprised me the most is that there are 6 gates that cross over between the sides and 4 of the 6 gates still get locked at 9 pm each day and reopen at 6 am. The residents on either side of the wall want this locked every day.

    The wall is covered in murals on both sides and there are many memorials to the fallen fighters and innocent bystanders.

    The conflict is passed down to the generations and it is never taught in the schools . The Catholics still want a unified Ireland while the Protestants in Northern Ireland are dedicated to the United Kingdom. The Catholics don’t have enough votes to carry a majority vote for a unified Ireland.

    Our driver said the peace has been the best he has ever seen. Many people think they should not have a vote since rhetoric peace is so good .

    It was a great informative tour

    On a side note the weather in the afternoon was extremely cold and we froze on the tour . We found out it was the coldest September 12 in over 5 years.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    2Celeste's thieving fox
    1First hole tee shotHole 11 tee shotView of Village of Killough from the course18th hole and clubhouse view12nd hole, 165 yard carry into the high wind10th hole , facing Ardglass

    Golf Ardglass Golf Club

    September 13, 2024 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today we played an extremely interesting golf course . Ardglass is an hour south of Belfast along the eastern shores of the Irish Sea.

    The clubhouse is the oldest clubhouse in the world built in 1405. It was a castle previous. Some of the doors in the clubhouse are still the old archways and they are less than 6 feet tall.

    A number of the holes are on cliffs and the ocean as the course is right on a peninsula. Many of the tee shots involved long carry’s over water or gorges. On top of that we had a 30-40 km wind all day making it a very difficult golf course .

    On the 13 th hole there were 2 foxes. One was quite near me and when I went into my golf bag to get my phone to take a picture, he came right up to me with “ feed me” eyes. I had nothing to give him. I hit my shot taking a good divot and he ran and got the divot and was tossing it in the air like a bean bag. Celeste and I played in different groups and Celeste hit her ball in the thick rough and when she found her ball she took off her golf glove to mark the location of the ball and went to get her bag. The fox ran and grabbed her glove and took off with it into the bush .

    A good day of golf    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    Bushmills Distillery13Giants BootDunlace Castle13

    Bushmills amd Giant’s Causeway

    September 14, 2024 in Northern Ireland ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Today we headed to the north part of Northern Ireland. The drive took is on many of the small highways and roads. The land is very green as they have lush fields of alfalfa and grasses . We saw lots of dairy cows and sheep in many of the fields .
    Northern Ireland is very hilly so the roads are windy with lots of ups and downs .

    Our first stop was at The Bushmills Distillery , Irelands oldest working distillery established in 1608. We had a tour of the entire line and learned about their distilling process. The tour ended with a complimentary tasting ( definitely will buy a bottle at the duty free on the way home )

    The tour was better than the Jamison tour but the tasting with the variety and the pours were much better at Jamison’s

    After a quick lunch we headed to the Giant’s Causeway. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a geological wonder with over 40000 interlocking basalt columns. It is the result of intense volcanic and geological activity.
    It is steeped in myth and legend carved from the coast by the mighty giant Finn McCool who left behind an ancient home full of folklore.

    It was a long walk down to the causeway and around the geological formation and then a big climb back to the visitor centre .

    On the drive to the hotel we then drove by Dunlace Castle which dates back to the 16 th century.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    On the 17th tee box , the point on the north is Ireland
    Coming out sideways from the bunker on 1717th holeA couple of the holes in the front 9 with the River Bann in the backgroundVillage of Port Stewart1Great form on a bump and run by Celeste with the village of Castlerock in the backgroundLetting the Big Dog eat with this driver swingThe River Bann empties into the The Barmouth ( inlet ) which empties into the North Atlantic

    Castlerock

    September 15, 2024 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we played Castlerock Golf Club in the Village of Castlerock.
    Castlerock is the farthest north we are going in Northern Ireland .
    It was a nice day once again, the wind was high reaching up to 50-60km per hour .
    The course is a traditional links course , however the fairways especially around the greens were very bumpy which could result in bad bounces as you approached the green . There ere many deep bunkers throughout the course which is normal in a traditional links course . We definitely had to play bump and run shots.

    Celeste and I played together and we hired caddies . Both caddies are retired guys who were very knowledgeable about the course and the greens . My caddie ( Jerry) was a pure delight to talk to as he pointed out many landmarks and features in the surrounding villages as we toured the course .

    On the 17th tee, we were facing north and he pointed out a large peninsula and said that was Southern Ireland . I asked him to repeat it a couple of times and finally figured out that was Ireland except the locals don’t like calling Ireland , Ireland and they refer to it as Southern Ireland .

    For dinner we stayed in the hotel restaurant. Our bus driver - Vinny came into the restaurant right after us and was sitting by himself so we asked him to join us . We had a lovely evening as he was telling us all about Ireland and some of the things we are going to see as we head south. His accent is quite thick and he has a great sense of humour.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    1First hole with a great view of the course and beach
    1Hole 2 tough tee shot to tight landing areaCeleste teeing off from high up with the green and River Bann in the backgroundPortstewart Stand ( beach)Harbour in Portrush1Celeste up in the dunes where even Billy goats would have trouble getting to

    Golf Portstewart

    September 16, 2024 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Today we travelled north to play the Portstewart Golf Club. This course was one the most amazing and difficult golf courses we have played so far . The front 9 is carved out this high grass covered sand dunes . This lead to many challenging tee shots to specified landing areas . The course had lots of ups and downs with pot bunkers in the fairways and around the greens. The course has held many tournaments including the Irish Open. The dunes run parallel to the beach of the North Atlantic.

    Celeste and I took caddies who were very helpful and interesting to talk to.

    The tv show Game of Thrones had various scenes filmed along the beach and dunes . Celeste’s caddie told us he and his brother were golfing and his brother’s tee shot went wayward into the dunes and he walked right into the middle of the shoot while looking for his ball.

    The day was sunny and we could actually wear shorts but once again the wind was high .

    We found out that in the last 13 months they have only had 14 days where there was no rain in Portstewart. Explains why everything is so green .

    For dinner we went to the harbour area of Portrush to have dinner at Harbour Bar and Bistro. I had seafood which was delicious.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    Cliffs of Moher
    11Viewing the cliffs into the setting sunRock walls dividing the farm landDunguarie Castle in County Galway. Dates back to the 16th century .Countryside along western IrelandAlong the shore of the village of BurrenSunset in Lahinch2My attempt at a selfie while having a Guiness

    Long Bus Day and Cliffs of Moher

    September 17, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today we travelled from Portrush on the northern tip of Northern Ireland to Lahinch Ireland on the south west coast. Before we left I looked up on Google Maps and it said the drive would take 5.5 hours . The route would take us through Derry, Letterkenney, Donegal, Sligo just to name a few towns.

    I think the person who surveyed the highways in Northern Ireland and western Ireland was a drunken Irishman. I have never seen so many curves and winding roads in my life.

    The countryside was beautiful shades of greens and we saw many fields of sheep and cattle grazing . The people of Ireland take immaculate care of their front yards . All front yards whether in town or acreages are walled off with 1/2 walls made of brick and painted . The walls are small and the gardens inside the walls have beautiful flowers , grass and shrubs .

    The bus driver has to take mandatory breaks so we had to stop at a couple of truck stops including our lunch . Let me tell you not places on the where to eat in Ireland list .

    Our first oops was the driver took a wrong turn at Sligo ( I knew he should have took a left at Albuquerque). This oops cost us a lot of time and we had to go through the centre of the city on very narrow roads . He actually hit a hedge trying to make a right hand turn .

    As we continued on our journey he unilaterally decided to take us the scenic route vs the shortest way to the Cliffs of Moher . He wanted us to see this rock formation along the sea that is massive and dates back to the ice age .

    The roads on the scenic route got narrower and narrower with absolutely no shoulders and barely can fit 2 vehicles approaching each other I have never seen such a narrow road in my life . . More than once we had cars honking us as the bus crowding into the other lane. We continued on our journey then all of a sudden we brush some tees on the left hand side of the road . Then I hear a loud bang and I thought we hit another tree but nope we were meeting another bus and both buses doing 60-70 km per hour . The bus mirrors collided and our bus mirror was fine. Our driver said the other guy was in the wrong and his mirror took the worst of it. The road was so winding I was actually getting nausea.
    The farm land around here is divided into small 5,10. 20 acre plots with stone walls separating them . This was done as fathers passed land to their sons , dividing the land and now it keeps cattle grazing in smaller lots as they are fenced in.
    It was amazing to see so many stone fences everywhere.

    We finally got to Cliffs of Moher we had an hour to view the cliffs and stretch our legs . It also allowed me to settle my stomach down. The cliffs are natural rock formations created by seismic shifting of the earth thousands of years ago. Along the Atlantic Ocean.

    The cliffs are quite beautiful. We had to climb a lot of stairs to get to the top .

    After viewing we continued our journey to Lahinch .

    We arrived at our hotel at 7 pm , 10 hours after we left Portrush. ( so much for 5.5 hour drive)

    We checked in quickly and walked along the sea wall to have a drink and enjoy the sunset and try to find a place for dinner .    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    On the back 9 tee box overlooking the beach
    The Castle hole with the old lookout tower as your target line1World famous hole 5 "Dell" which is a completely blind shot over the hill to a hidden greenBeach from the tee box with tide outClubhouse with the village of Lahinch in the backgroundHole 2The Devils asshole , a big cavernous grass area with a brown spot pot bunker at the bottom1

    Lahinch Golf Club

    September 18, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    This morning we woke up in Lahinch and I decided to go for a walk before breakfast along the beach where the e watched the sunset the previous evening.
    I picked up a coffee and headed to the beach as our hotel is only 1 block away.
    The tide was in and the waves were crashing into the sea wall and the beach was not accessible.
    I did continue my walk along the path vs the beach.

    Lahinch is a beach resort town of 1000 permanent residences that swells to 7000 over the summer . It is known for the beach, surfing and of course its world famous golf course .

    The course was a delight to play with many tough golf holes with a number of blind shots . In typical links golf you hit to a target as you prepare for your next shot or another approach to the green . In Ireland the golf holes all have a unique names which is named after something about the hole.

    We had a beautiful day for Ireland standards and Shane our caddy said it was probably the nicest day of all summer . When we reached the holes along the beach , the tide was out and the beach and ocean was full of people enjoying the fall day by the water .

    After golf Celeste had a reservation at a restaurant that was recommended by one of our caddies and we had the best dinner in the trip so far.

    After dinner , Celeste headed back to the hotel while the rest of our dinner group headed to Flanagans Pub which had live traditional Irish music and some Irish whiskey.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    First hole , notice the graveyard on the right's
    Ballybunion signature holeVery tough uphill par 31Signature hole at Ballybunion18th hole with a view of the clubhouse , they say it looks like a cruise ship run aground

    Ballybunion

    September 19, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today we played one of the top 10 golf courses in the world - Ballybunion Golf Course . It is very hard to get on to the course as our tour operator had to.book it one year in advance . The course was made famous by Tom Watson who stated it was one of the nicest links courses he has ever played.

    The drive from Lahinch took us an hour to get to the ferry crossing and we had to wait 45 minutes for the ferry and then another 30 minute drive after we got off the ferry. We just made it in time for our tee time.

    Celeste and I shared a caddie and he told us that it was one of the hardest courses to play in all of Ireland

    We lucked out with weather as the day was very warm and only a light breeze compared to the 30-50 kmh winds they usually get .

    The links style once again required precision shot making to avoid the pot bunkers and dunes . This also included avoiding the graveyard on the right hand side of the fairway on the opening tee shot.
    The views of the ocean and the surrounding area were amazing.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    2Posing with the King
    Celeste's tee shot with the Atlantic Ocean in the backgroundShort but challenging par 4 straight uphillAnother long par 4 up hillHole 18 with clubhouse in the backgroundA view from the 3 rd green back to the tee box with the tide out

    Tralee Golf Club

    September 20, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We are now staying in Tralee on the south west coast in Ireland. We played the Tralee Golf Club which one would assume is in Tralee but it about 20 miles west right on the coast near Fenit. This is our final round on the west coast.

    The course was designed by Arnold Palmer. The front 9 was relatively easy but the back 9 was brutally hard. One hole was 550-600 yard par 5 straight up hill. A couple of the par 3s were tough shots over gorges that were all carry to make the green.

    After golf, it was a fellow traveller’s birthday so we met in the hotel bar for a champagne toast. She was very happy about the toast and well wishes .    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    Cashel Murphy dates back to 3200BC
    1Rugged coastlineHurts that look like beehives made out of stoneBuddy the dog doing herding sheepGreat advertisingOne of the Star Wars locationsGreat beer on the western most bar in EuropeAnother Star Wars location where Luke enters the cave23 sisters in Ireland , Canmore is a bit biggerGuiness trademarked the harp hundreds of years ago as most people were illiterate.Mountain and farm area near Dingle2Buddy doing his thing

    Dingle and Slea Head Drive

    September 21, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today was a non golf day and we did a bus trip to Dingle and did the Slea Head Drive. Ireland has 4 fingers that stick out on the south west coast and originally we were scheduled for the Ring of Kerry a much longer drive but the group complained that it has been to much so they opted for the Slea Head Drive a much shorter trip.

    This area has mountains ( small compared to Alberta ) which are scenic and used for grazing sheep and cattle.

    The drive was very scenic and once again very narrow. We stopped at a house settlement that dates back to 3200BC.

    Our driver knew a farmer so he called ahead and for he did a demonstration of his border collie sheep dog herding the sheep. He has a good sideline gig as he charges to see the demonstration . Since our driver knew him, the farmer gave him a bottle of his moonshine which was pretty good , clears the sinuses really good (70-80 proof )

    The coast line is very rugged and is used for movie sets including Star Wars The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
    Just before noon we stopped at a local pub which is the furthest most western bar in all of Europe . Never to early for an Irish coffee and a Smithwicks beer .

    We arrived in Dingle about 1:45. Dingle is famous for its Irish Crystal and ice cream.
    The proprietary of Dingle Crystal use to work for Waterford crystal but they moved their production off shore so he set up his own shop and continues the tradition of making beautiful hand crafted pieces. The production facility was closed as it is Saturday but the retail store was beautiful inside with many stunning pieces .
    After lunch we stopped for ice cream at Murphys which started the famous ice cream in this area.    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    The Merry Ploughboy Pub
    St Stephen on the Green when I was out for my long trek.The pub filled with all kinds of tour groupsStage awaiting the show.Finally found the Best Ale in the WorldThe Band on stageOur golfing and touring group1Whisky in the Jar, a fine traditional song1Irish dancer performing at the midpoint of the show.

    The Merry Ploughboy

    September 22, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    This morning we boarded the bus in Tralee and drove back to Dublin. It is normally a 3.5 hour drive and we took about 4.5 hours . Celeste and I made a sandwich at the breakfast buffet as we expected our lunch stop would be another truck stop. We did stop at a truck stop and most people grabbed chips, pop and other snacks.

    Once we arrived we checked in and I walked about 6 km to our 2 previous hotels we stayed in Dublin . I was missing a couple of things and I thought in the off chance they maybe in the lost and found at the other hotels ( they were not).

    This hotel is not the best of the stay, we are actually on the wrong side of Dublin near the train station. The room is not the best and the hotel is old . We just ready to get home and sleep in our own bed . We overlook the train tracks. For those My Cousin Vinny fans, “ it is highly unusual for the 5 am train to come by” we definitely hear the trains.

    Tonight was our final group dinner . We went to The Merry Ploughboy Pub for an evening of traditional Irish Food, song , entertainment and dance . The food was very good, the beers and whiskey were awesome and the entertainment was fabulous. Everyone in our group had a great time .    Read more

  • Kelly BernakevitchThe Luck of the IrishTraveler
    1
    First fairway looking back from the greenAlong the bayNumber 101Clubhouse with Canadian Flag on the leftFrom the 14 th tee with Malahide in the backgroundKelly with Mary and Liam ladies and men's Vice captains from The Island Club

    Our Final Golf Game in Ireland

    September 23, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today we played The Island Golf Club in Malahide Ireland . The club was established in. 1890 and up until 1973 the only way to get to the course was by boat .
    We had an early tee time (8:10 am) and with the heavy cloud cover and low ambient lighting in the morning it was hard to see our shots for the first couple of holes.
    The course once again was a traditional links course with large mounds of sand and fescue grasses .
    The bays around Malahide have plenty of mussels and when we were playing holes 10-12 we saw a lot of mussel shells on the fairway and roughs. The birds scoop them up from the water and drop them from high above to break their shells and eat the mussel

    We also saw a few pheasants on the course which I think we only saw once before .

    Celeste played really well and she had the lowest lost ball count in our group. Over 9 rounds she only lost 1 ball. ( I lost 4 balls)

    The course treated us very well and just before our first group teed off they raised the Canadian flag 🇨🇦 on their second flag pole.
    I had contacted the course through our travel tour operator about exchanging flags . The 2 vice Captains from the Island Course were waiting for us at the end of the round and we had a Flag exchange between our Club Silver Springs and their club . After the flag exchange they treated Celeste and into drinks and lunch . Mary and Liam were very nice and it was pleasant to meet them and hear about the club and kids .

    The Island Club maybe not as famous as some of the other courses but it is definitely a members course where members can play it again and again . Some holes are still very challenging, for example the 14 th hope has the narrowest fairway in all of Ireland. ( both Celeste and I hit our drives on the fairway )

    After our game we came back to our not so nice hotel and started to pack for our flight home . The entire group met for drinks tonight and most of us stayed for dinner in the hotel restaurant.
    A fitting end to our final full day in Ireland.    Read more

    Trip end
    September 24, 2024
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