How to Plan a Links Course Trip
Old TamApr 28, 2025
LD TAM LINKS GOLF
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When you think of the city of Dublin, many things come to mind. It is a very friendly town with a vibrant cultural scene. It is old meets new. Trinity College (1592) and the Guinness Storehouse. The incredible writers it has produced--Joyce, Yeats, Becket and Shaw. Traditional Irish Folk Music, Van Morrison or U2? You would be hard-pressed to find a city as driven by its pub-culture as Dublin.
But this trip was all about the links golf, and Dublin is a great base to set up camp for four or five days and play some of the best links that the Country offers.
Dublin is a natural embarking point for any trip to Ireland, with multiple airlines having direct from the East Coast of the States—NYC, Boston, Philly, and DC. We set up at the Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Links for five nights, an old mansion residence converted to a hotel-- owned by the famous whiskey family. What an excellent choice that was. It is centrally located just East of the city, and close to the Airport. But most of all, it is just off the beach with wonderful walks and views.
Our room had a sea view and had a small little sitting quarters that looked out through the large windows (which conveniently opened out to generate a nice breeze) to the Sea, and down onto the first tee of the Jameson Links course. We enjoyed an afternoon cocktail while analyzing everyone is first tee jitters and banter.
Dublin Area: Portmarnock, The Island, The European Club, The Jameson Links (a good warm-up course to get rid of the jet lag). Options: Royal Dublin, St. Anne’s, County Lowth (Baltray), and Corballis
Portmarnock - Ranked #59 in the World, a future Open site
Portmarnock Golf Club is steeped in History and many of the greatest golfers of all time have walked its fairways—from Harry Vardon, Henry Cotton and Bobby Locke to Sam Snead, Player, Palmer, Trevino, Ballesteros, Watson, McElroy and Woods. It has hosted the Dunlop Masters, the Walker Cup and 19 Irish Opens.
Whereas it is a difficult course that tests every club in the bag, it is fair, and what you see is what you get. Everything is right in front of you. Many golfers and golf purists call it a “proper links course.”
It does not have the towering dunes of The Island, Ballybunion or Lahinch, and other Irish counterparts, rather it is a more classic look and feel a la Royal Troon, or Prestwick—it looks like it belongs in Scotland.
Your greens fee includes either lunch or dinner. We opted for lunch before our 1:30 tee time. You could feel the history ooze from the dark wood lined hallway lined with trophy cases as you approach the bar and dining room. and locker room.
It has strategically placed bunkers have more straight faces than say the European Club, or a Royal County Down. Like many of its Irish counterparts, it is not routed through towering dunes, like its cousin down the road, The Island.
Rated one of the best courses in Ireland, and in the top sixty in the World, it was recently selected to host a future Open. It will be only the second course ever in Ireland to do so and more importantly, the first in the Republic of Ireland. Three people all had differing timeframes for The Open, but it is somewhere around 5-7 years out.
The gentleman that carted us out to the range explained some of the changes that will be made to accommodate the R&A and The Open. There is only one road in and out, aptly named Golf Links Road, to get to the course and the tip of the peninsula where it is located. This could create a potential bottleneck, so they will be building a new bridge connecting it over to the mainland.
In addition, they will play the current par four seventeenth as the eighteenth hole, and the eighteenth will become the first hole—barrowing a hole from the third, yellow nine.
Aside from those changes, Portmarnock is well equipped to manage the massive crowds of an Open. Big wide-open fairways, and many areas for grandstands, tents, corporate suites and parking facilities—which are integral to the R&A’s measure of success for the modern-day Open—the formula being more space and better logistics equates to more revenue. The latest 153rd Open at Royal Portrush is a fitting example of this, with a whopping 278,000 fans attending for the week.
After lunch and a good warm-up on the range, we were off to the first tee. A gripper of a drive with the bay lining the entire hole down the right. Whereas Portmarnock’s holes don’t have names on the scorecard, I hereby dub the 1st hole, Pucker Up, Buttercup. Not quite as challenging as Machrihanish GC’s first, but still frightening. A time when I wished I could play a draw, not my typical soft fade.
There was definitely a crowd around the 1st tee, as it is just 20’ away from the clubhouse, and right off the pro-shop. The starter had an intense, mean stare on his face as if we were intruding upon his domain. He couldn’t have been any further than eight feet away from Scooter when he put his peg in the ground. I think he might have gotten into Scooter’s living room, as they say, and wreaked havoc.
We were paired up with John and Chris a father/son team from Texas. This was the tail-end of their trip to celebrate Chris getting through his medical residency. Chris was tall with and extended stance and whippy fast swing. He hit the ball a mile. John was in his 60’s like us, and reminded me of the golf instructor/radio host Michael Breed.
The breeze was off the ocean flowing southeast, and it was bright and sunny day. Portmarnock first and foremost, is a great walk. As I had mentioned, not towering dunes to walk around, more classic, gradual dunes and elevation change. What gives you great perspective are the huge Monterrey pines that dot some ot the holes, especially on the back nine—very unique to a links course.
The first thing that I noticed as I approached my drive, a wee bit to far left to compensate for the bay, were the deep, riveted bunkers that are strategically placed around the side of the fairways and greens-reminiscent of Royal Troon. That said, you can still hit the typical 7-iron bump and runs along the ground to the front of the vast majority of greens, which were more old-school, with easy-to-read subtle breaks.
It plays to par 72, with three each par 3’s and 5’s. I think the set of par-3’s were my favorite holes, along with sixteen, a wonderful par-5 with the Monterrey pines, and seventeen, a challenging par-4 that will be lengthened and play as number eighteen for The Open.
My two favorite par-3’s, numbers 7 and 15, both played into the Southeast wind. Seven played at 157 yards, and I absolutely smashed a five-iron downhill to fifteen feet—a solid two-club wind. Fifteen was once called “the shortest par-5 in golf,” by Ben Crenshaw. It played right along the beach, with beautiful, flowing heather, at 204-yards from the tips. The third par-3, number 12 played toward the water, with a left to right crosswind. A gorgeous hole, with the Island’s Eye in the background. You would be hard-pressed to find a better group of tough par-3’s anywhere in the world of links golf. That said, St. Patrick’s and Ballybunion might give it a run for its money.
Sixteen is a challenging par-5 that plays into somewhat of a hurting, right-to-left wind. I think it will be a pivotal hole for the Open coming down the stretch.
As we finished-up, and hit clubhouse for a pint, we reminisced about the round. It was our first of the trip, and we were a bit slow out-of-the-gates, but it was very enjoyable. Certainly a great walk spoiled, with beautiful vistas, and no tall dunes to block the wind. It should be a great host for The Open. It is a very welcoming club, from the entire staff. Definitely make this one of your stops for a Dublin links trip, and take dead aim!
The Island:
• https://www.theislandgolfclub.com/
• Phone: +353 1 843 6205
• €325- April through October
• Head Pro: Francis Howley
• Architect: Fred Hawtree, Eddie Hackett, Mackenzie and Ebert
Our driver from the previous day at Portmarnock, James, who amongst other things --like importing Italian wines--just happened to be a member of The Island. As we approached the harbor in Malahyde, we came to a red light, and he asked me.
“Are you wearing your GPS golf watch, Red?"
”Yes, but I am not dialed in now.”
“If you look across the water,” pointing across the harbor, “past that white boat, see the light green patch jutting out on the right?”
“I do, is that the course?” I responded.
“Yes, that is number 14 tee, a par four. I calculated it once. From right where we are sitting, it is about 664 yards to the green. So, that puts the carry over the bay at three hundred yards.”
As Scooter and I played the hole, I checked the score card and it was indeed 364 yards from the white tees.
“That is where the boat used to drop off the golfers, long before cars and before the bridge came about,” he continued.
What a great idea for a fund-raiser. Get a few big hitters there and go after it! Play it as a par-5, across Malahyde Bay. I can just picture the side bets coming in all over town.
It would be another fifteen minutes around the bay and into the course. My mind wandered back to a time 125+ years ago, Horse & buggy to Malahyde from wherever you live in the Dublin area. Flag the boatsmen, and off you go. Five hours later, he returns to pick you up after a rousing round of golf, with four clubs, and a handful of featheries. The boat man greeted you with a wee dram. Could you imagine? That must have been an all-day excursion back in the day. It remained that way until the bridge came into play in 1973.
As described on The Island’s web page:
The Island has a great history. founded in 1890, the club was unusual in that it had no military connection and was founded as a private club for the benefit of the members and their families. The ten founder members, known as the ‘Syndicate,’ only permitted others to join the club on an annual basis as annual ticket holders. Over time, the term ‘ticket holder’ changed to ‘associate member.’
Most of the members of the Syndicate were already members of The Dublin Golf Club (later The Royal Dublin GC) which was founded in 1885. However, while The Dublin GC was seeking a more suitable location for its course than the Phoenix Park, several of their members investigated the potential of Malahide, Co. Dublin.
“In September 1887 four men rowed across the channel which separates the North Dublin village of Malahide from the spur of land to the north known locally as the Island. Their mission was to survey the wilderness and assess its suitably as a golf links.”
Long before automobiles and bridges, the only way to get out to play the course was by boat.
The last leg of the journey to play golf at The Island was by boat. There are many stories about the boat, the boatmen, the order of embarkation and the priority thereof. When the boat took a party of golfers to The Island, they were entirely dependent upon the boat for the return journey. The signal to the boatman on the far side of the estuary to collect golfers from the links was to open a large red and white disc on the side of the pavilion. The disc was hinged in the centre and could be seen from the shore by the boatman. When the disc was in the closed position it was green in colour and blended in with the wall of the pavilion.
Continuing with my tradition of applying a band and/or song to the golf course. How would I identify The Island? That is an easy one. I had the song Listen to the Music, by The Doobie Brothers, as we wound our way through the beautiful, high dunes. It was a bright, sunny, wonderful day, just like the song makes me feel—Tom Johnston’s happy-go-lucky melodies along to the ringing 12-string guitar rhythms, just like a lazy flowing river:
Don't you feel it growing day by day?
People getting ready for the new
Some are happy, some are sad
Whoa, we gotta let the music play
Mm-hm
What the people need is a way to make 'em smile
It ain't so hard to do if you know how
Gotta get a message, get it on through
Oh, now, mama is goin' to after a while
Whoa-oh-whoa, listen to the music
Whoa-oh-whoa, listen to the music
Whoa-oh-whoa, listen to the music
All the time
Well, I know you know better
Everything I say
Meet me in the country for a day
We'll be happy and we will dance
Feeling good, feeling fine
Oh, baby, let the music play
I say this with the utmost confidence and with a smile on my face. The Island is the one club that I cannot wait to return to on every Irish trip we take. Get our bags, and rental car, and head straight to the course. Breakfast in the dining room, hit a few balls, then off we go.
A la Gil Hanse and his comments about Castle Stuart printed on the tees within the gift bag on the first tee, this is how I described The Island in my notes:
This would be one of only a handful of rounds that Scooter and I played by ourselves, no caddies, no playing partners and an early afternoon tee time. On a bright, sunny day. We knew what we were in for from the first tee. Off into the dunes land, towering, beautiful dunes. Just like the Boat Man back in the day, it seemed like we were embarking upon a journey into the past. Old school, just us and our trollies.
The first was not just a gentle handshake, but also a proper introduction to the dunes. The approach goes through dunes framing both sides of the fairway, then, up the hill to the gorgeous, elevated tee for the par-four second. This is the aha moment with the panoramic views to Lambay Island behind you, and around the Bog to the Bay and Malahyde in the distance, and the Clubhouse back to your right.
One thing all golfers like to do is to pick a favorite nine for every course they play. This is a difficult, talk task at The Island, which speaks volumes as to how cool the course really is. I cannot honestly answer that question.
The front has holes two through four—a wonderful par-3 dubbed Lambay, for the Island in the distance—and six through eight (all par-4s named Desert, Ridge and Tower that are fantastic stretches of holes, meandering through wonderful dunes that makes you feel great that you are in Ireland! Ridge is a fun short par-4 with large dunes lining the fairway off your drive, the fairway bending left bending left around a giant dune that creates a blind-approach shot if you do not keep your drive right. It has a beautiful amphitheater-like green complex, open only middle front 6 o’clock to 2 o’clock-one of my favorites on the course
The back has wonderful views of the bay, bog, and one of my favorite stretches--numbers 13 through 15. Thirteen, Broadmeadow, a wonderful par-3, of 208 yards heading out to the Bay, with sailboats, Malahyde and the Church steeple in the distance. Then you hit the famous 14-tee, Old Clubhouse, where the boatman used to drop people off for their round. Its fairway is known as the narrowest in all of golf—and there is nowhere to miss right, and heavy gorse on the left. Then fifteen, Prairie, a wonderful par-5 and my favorite on the course. A gorgeous view from the tee to a blind landing area.
As we headed up eighteen fairway, toward the clubhouse on the right, I felt downright giddy. What a joy of a course to play, and an Irish gem that is still, off the radar. James was on our ride home again, and he joined us on the veranda, overlooking number eighteen to relax before the drive, and get our thoughts on the round. You could sense that he was a proud member of The Island and wanted everyone to enjoy its wonderful canvas.
As we sipped our Guinness we watched as youngsters both with and without parents tuning up for a late afternoon round. I look forward to the day that we hear
about a young member of The Island—either lad or lass--making it to the bigtime. It might even be James’ son.
James regaled us in many stories on the way back to the Portmarnock. How do you pull the perfect pint of Guinness?
It is a combination of:
Only the most experienced Bar Keeps know!
Speaking of which. He told us that the best pint of Guinness in all of Ireland can be found at Jack White’s Inn
The pub's name is a reference to Jack White, an Irish pirate that lived at the turn of the 18th century, reputed to be a first-class smuggler Jack White arranged shipment of Wicklow wool to be sent abroad to France in exchange for brandy, wine and French luxury goods. He operated in a place called ‘Jack’s Hole,’ where now Jack White's Inn is located, in Brittas Bay—near to The European Club.
In March of 1996, Jack White's Pub was the scene of one of the most famous Irish murders. Tom Nevin, co-owner of the pub, was shot dead while counting the takings of the Bank Holiday Weekend. In a botched robbery attempt, he was killed by a single shotgun blast.
His wife, Catherine Nevin was eventually convicted of Tom's murder and dubbed forever more, the “Black Widow.” Before being convicted, as the story goes, her fate reached a snag when she slept with—amongst others--the prosecuting attorney, and the Judge!
The European Club-Brittas Bay
https://www.theeuropeanclub.com/
• Phone: +353 404 47415
• Mon-Friday, €320 - Weekends: - €400
• Head Pro: Francis Howley
• Architect: Pat Ruddy
As we headed south from Dublin to The European club, what began as a nice, peaceful, meandering one-hour plus drive on a four-lane highway, with beautiful views of the hills and mountains, came to a grinding halt the last five miles into The European Club.
“Clear, sharp left, clear, oooohh, ouch, yikes! Aaahhhh, cannot see anything past this curve, get right, right – hedge!” I barked out from the left-side navigator seat.
I would call it a challenging, puckering drive to earn your way to The European Club. Scooter was at the helm (our first day with the rental car) and he did great. What a relief it was to make it into the parking lot. He needed to take a breath, and re-group.
“Good morning. Welcome. Looks like you picked a wonderful day,” said my smiling, one-man welcoming committee.
“You ordered-up a sunny day. Well done, I am Tom Atkins, 12:40 tee time.”
“Welcome, yes, I believe you have a second joining you?”
“Mr. Flaherty,” I responded. “He is out taking care of the car; he should be in soon.”
With raised eyebrows, and chin slightly tilted to the right, he turned to me with squinted eyes, and a sly grin to his face, then said.
“Oh. So, he must be the Alfred, to your Bruce Wayne?”
Wow! I noticed his analogy quickly, and had some fun.
“Yes, I guess you could call Alfred my Man Friday. My sidekick, I could not be Batman without him.”
“Well, you know,” he continued. “That takes a bit of time. He must back the car into place to ensure a safe departure, as we call it, make sure everything is secure.”
“It’s a tough gig Alfred has. You know, minding the Bat-Cave, steaming my tuxedo, shopping, cooking, not to mention, making me happy hour Vespers.”
“So, he has earned this round of golf?”
“Indeed.”
We must have chatted for 10 minutes, but it could have been a half-hour—we did go off on a few tangents. Turns out he was Patrick Ruddy, Jr. He was a funny, quirky character, and proud of their course, and more importantly, being the “front of house” as the call it in the restaurant business. I could picture him as a mainstay in Monty Python, or a character in Ted Lasso—or they could simply write an English sitcom with him as the main character.
He gave me the lay-of-the land, some background on his dad, and the course. The range, the locker room, coordination, and how we would not have any groups teeing off till at least a half-hour later.
I told him about OldTamLinksGolf.com and what we were doing promoting Links golf, and how I would love to do an interview with him when we get back to the States.
He got a secretive, James Bond, spy-like look on his face, and moved in closer and whispered.
“Well, you will have to make it soon. We have agreed to sell the course, and it will happen quickly.”
The European Club is the genius and vision of its father, Pat Ruddy, a golf writer turned architect of some great Irish courses including Ballyliffin, Rosapenna, and Portsalon to name a few, and this course, his vision and labor of love. It is obvious that he designed the course and surroundings to his liking. It is all about golf. A celebration of golf. Nothing more.
No pretense. No bragging. No multimillion-dollar clubhouse, and restaurant nor a 500-member roster replete with a busy social calendar. Oh, and the logo? Both quirky, like the course, and brilliant! A giant golf ball atop a mini-Stonehenge. It must have been a great dream.
Like it was scripted out in their playbook, Gerry, Pat Jr’s brother, greeted me as I walked out to the practice green. He was a bit more understated, and the opposite of his off-the-wall brother. Simply a quick chat about the beautiful weather, and a welcome to their lovely corner of the Earth.
On the first tee, our starter spoke of the Club’s designer/mastermind.
“This is not a true, natural links course that Pat just found, like Old Tom Morris, rather he had access to a bulldozer, and he used it!”
He spoke of the difficult and unique bunkers, they have slanted, not vertical barnwood slats that line not only the front of the bunker, but the sides as well. Thankfully, he also mentioned a great tip to us.
“If you get frustrated. Take a 7-iron and bust it (all ball) at the slats, thereby hitting a bank shot.”
Scooter and I both employed that strategy, and it worked. Especially for me on the par three second.
I must have hit it fifty feet in the air off the wood, and it landed and settled softly next to the pin for a knock-in.
I will admit that the bunkers are beautiful, sculpted, unique bunkers. Many modern architects have paid homage to this design feature. It was a go-to for Pete Dye on many courses, and I love how Gil Hanse incorporated vertical slats at Castle Stuart—and he did not overdo it.
I have always thought that one of the greatest defenses that a links course possesses is the optical illusion. Some courses, and some holes play with your mind as far as the distances. This was certainly the case at The European Club. Countless times we stood on the tee, gazed out at a par-4 and thought, “there is no way that this hole is 370, it looks more like 450 yards!” Or, from the fairway, shaking our head in disbelief with a 9-iron in our hand, thinking we would wind up 40-yards short.
Per my penchant for assigning songs/bands to the courses we play, like the song by Queen, The European Club is a Killer Queen, certainly guaranteed to blow your mind—every time.
We got into the groove, and the wonderful views. It was a two to two-and-a-half club wind, and a course where your driver must be working—very similar to Royal County Down from that perspective. Scooter and I both had troubles on the front—and the scorecard reflected that frustration. It had quite a lot of memorable holes, including number three, the sole par-5, a downhill beauty toward Brittas Bay. Number six, a 155-yard par-3, into a three-club wind, and number seven (the signature Arnold Palmer plaque hole), a gutsy par-4, and the #1 handicap hole.
Most people that know of The European Club have heard that it has twenty holes, with a 7a and 12a, and you can choose to play both or neither one. We wound up playing 7a, (but not 12a) a short par-3, at 114 yards, uphill, into a big wind. I smashed a 7-iron to pin high and made par. A fitting example of how in links golf, any given club can have a 70-yard range on any given day.
The back nine is the real strength of this course, and one of my favorite nines in Ireland (along with the front at Portrush, and Lahinch, and back at St. Patrick’s and Ballybunion). It opens with a couple fun par-4s that go out to the Sea. Eleven is a well-designed hole, with a couple strategically placed slatted bunkers up the right side requiring you to thread a drive. It is a beautiful approach to a green sloped back to front, guarded on the left by a big dune ready to gobble-up any wayward shot. The Sea lies beyond.
Twelve though Sixteen is the best stretch, with some fun holes. Twelve’s tee box looks down on the beach below. It is a breath-taking par four at 410 yards (460 for the big hitters) on this day, a left to right wind wreaking havoc the whole way. The green that awaits you is the largest in World at 120 yards deep.
Thirteen, a par-5 at 480 yards (which can be stretched to over 600) is a gorgeous hole, teeing off through a shoot that opens out toward the Brittas Bay and the Irish Sea. After navigating a few strategic fairway bunkers, you approach a huge kidney shaped green that wraps itself around a menacing bunker. If you wind up on the wrong side of pin, or bunker in this case, a wedge from the green comes into play.
Fourteen, an uphill par-3, played tough on this day into a primarily hurting, left-right wind requiring a full bore 175-to-180-yard typical shot going only 130 into the wind. Fifteen was a fun, uphill par-4 that parallels the Sea and ends-up with a green perched on a shelf up above the water—one of the highest points on the course, and the furthest (East) from the clubhouse. A beautiful vista from where to gaze back at the course.
A set of par-4’s ends out the back, each unique in their own way. Sixteen has a grass bunker in the middle of the fairway right around 240 off the tee—in addition to threading the needle through two pot bunkers, right and left. I managed to get a 5-iron (again?) out of a bad lie on the edge of that bunker, into the right-left and some hurting wind and onto the front part of the green. I rang the birdie bell with a fifty-footer—for the first one of our trip.
Seventeen is a brawny 380 yarder, mostly into the wind (on this day, but the prevailing wind would be downwind), through a shoot of dunes, to an unprotected green. Eighteen is an interesting hole. It has a shoot of trees to the left off the tee and an exceedingly difficult drive/landing area. A large dune runs down the left. The green has a quirky, horseshoe shaped moat/burn that guards the green. Must have been one of Pat Ruddy’s pet projects.
Per the song, I think that they kept the Moet et Chandon in the locker room, inside a pretty cabinet, next to the Gents’ showers.
As the song goes:
She keeps her Moët et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
"Let them eat cake, " she says
Just like Marie Antoinette
A built-in remedy
For Khrushchev and Kennedy
At any time an invitation
You can't decline
Caviar and cigarettes
Well versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice
She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime
Whereas The European Club is a difficult challenge, it is wonderful, unique and beautiful. Along with Ardglass, it had the most wonderful views to the Sea—from just about every hole!
To Pat Ruddy’s credit, he is not trying to hide the fact that the course is more of a modern links course, like Kingsbarns, or Castle Stuart. As our starter pointed out on the first tee, he used the bulldozer well!
The only complaint I could muster as Scooter and I took the ride back to base camp in Portmarnock—aside from being tired from the long walk—was the overabundance of the beautiful, unique bunkers. I hear that it has over 120, which I think is a lot compared to some of its Irish counterparts: 62 at Royal Portrush, 69 at Royal County Down, and a measly 40 at Ballybunion.
It is truly a quirky experience. A Killer Queen. A brut. From the pro-shop to the snack bar, to the employees, they are in their own World, and once again, characters out of an English comedy--take your pick, Faulty Towers, Four Weddings and Funeral or Monty Python.
All that said, The European club is a course that everyone needs to experience at least once. I am not sure what it will be like after the new owner takes over—rumor has it that Pat Ruddy required that “the course could not be altered or re-designed in any way.” Anyway, way you slice it, it is well worth a trip to The European Club anytime you do a Dublin Links excursion.
As we left, Patrick, Jr bode us farewell.
“I may see you in the Caribbean somewhere…in the Bahamas and I will be serving drinks at a bar on the beach, or dinner at a wedding that you are attending. I will ask you, Sir, would you like the beef or the chicken?”
We are headed to Harbor Island next May for a wedding. I am a firm believer in kismet and have a feeling that this was not the last time that we cross paths with Patrick, Jr.
Per Marie Antoinette, Let Them Eat Cake!
--Old Tam
Other courses you might want to explore on a Base Camp Dublin Trip:
Off the Course:
The Portmarnock Hotel & Jameson Links
Terrific location, 20 minutes from the Airport, close to Dublin, and on the beach! Comfortable, great service, 3 restaurants, and a couple fun pubs. It overlooks the Jameson Links. Bonus: It is attached to the Jameson Links course, and has a great warm-up/practice area (putting green, chipping, bunkers and a hitting net
The Beach: A short walk out of the back of the hotel. It had a walking, jogging, and biking path called the Menopause Mile. You could see many Irish families frolicking in the waves.
Malahyde – a great, quaint town ten minutes away, with a castle, harbor, shops and many restaurants and pubs.
Dublin – The city known for pub-life. Do not miss The Temple Bar (touristy area, but fun); Trinity College & The Book of Quells; Guinness Warehouse. A walk along the River Liffey is an enjoyable time.
