Golf holidays in Dublin & Portmarnock
Ireland's capital city has a host of reasons for visiting, history, nightlife, food, shopping, rugby; plus the string of world-renowned golf courses to be found all around the fair city. There are so many to choose from it's hard to know where to start! However, for the greatest concentration of grand courses head for the north side of town anywhere between Stephen's Green and Malahide: depending on how close to the centre of town or the seaside you wish to stay?
For nighthawks, the centre of Dublin will entertain you for as long as you can stand (literally), seaside lovers will be in their element up around the sandy beaches of Portmarnock and Malahide, if seafood is your thing then head directly to the lively port at Howth where its working harbour is lined with fish restaurants.
Dublin & Portmarnock - Golf Clubs
Golfwise, Dublin has a little of everything to offer: world-class links, quiet woodland courses and pretty parkland treasures to enjoy. The finest of these are to be found to the North of the city starting with the only 'Royal' course in the Republic - Royal Dublin that sits on Bull Island in the middle of Dublin Bay (along with it's commoner counterpart St. Anne's); inching up the coast next are Portmarnock and Portmarnock links - another conjoined pair of testing links; then inland to pretty Malahide and St. Margaret's or over the hill at the heavily wooded Howth before heading out to sea again at The Island (although there is now a landbridge to get there instead of the old rowboat!).
And don't be afraid to head a little further north into County Louth for one of Ireland's least trumpeted golfing marvels - the fabulous links at Baltray (with, as always for Ireland, a twin course next door at Seapoint!). One of our favourite Irish links, not least for it's quiet modesty.
Dublin, Portmarnock & Malahide - where to stay
For golf holidays in the centre of Dublin there are plenty of city centre hotels to choose from covering all budgets. From the classic Shelbourne Hotel on St. Stephen's Green or the modern Fitzwilliam across the way to Jury's on Grafton Street or the Arlington down with the party people in Temple Bar, Dublin has something for everyone and every pocket.
However, one of the finest and most convenient places to stay is the Clontarf Castle hotel, perfectly placed close to Royal Dublin and St. Anne's Golf Clubs on Bull Island and exactly halfway between the city centre and Portmarnock: golf and nightlife within easy reach - the best of both worlds!
Should you prefer a breath of sea air with your breakfast then head out to Portmarnock, Malahide or Howth. All are right by the sea and at the Portmarnock Links Hotel you will have a fine golf course on your doorstep as well. In the little seaside town of Malahide the Grand Hotel is, as its name suggests, rather grand and rather lovely too in an old fashioned way.
For golfing fishermen and sailors or just fresh fish fans, there is no better spot than amongst the fishing smacks and lobster pots in Howth; the place to stay is the Marine Hotel in nearby Sutton. From this great value hotel, you can enjoy the relaxed ambience of Howth's restaurants by night and all of Dublin's best golf courses by day (max half-an-hour's drive): ideal.
Dublin, Portmarnock & Malahide - sightseeing & dining
Dublin is a fairly big city, by which we mean it's big enough to have plenty of the essentials (shops, bars, cafés, restaurants etc.) yet small enough to get to know fairly quickly and to get out of to the golf courses easily. The centre of the city revolves around O'Connell Street, Grafton Street and St. Stephen's Green (where the charming old Shelbourne Hotel can be found).
Dubliners like to escape to the seaside when they can and in the Summer months you will find them out at the beaches north of town where Portmarnock and Malahide pander to the bucket-and-spade brigade all Summer long. Portmarnock is a very small village, more sand and dunes than bricks and mortar; Malahide is a bigger village with quite a few bars and restaurants for eventide perusal.
Getting to Dublin & Portmarnock
It is very easy to to get to Dublin for a quick golfbreak or the start of something more adventurous.... There are so many flights to Ireland's capital city every day from departure points across the UK and Europe that there is really no excuse not to go! From the airport, on the north side of Dublin, it is about half-an-hour's drive into to Dublin or even faster if you are heading over to Portmarnock or Malahide as you will avoid the inner-city traffic.
Of course, you can also travel over with your own vehicle via the Stenaline or P&O ferries and fastcraft (hugely impressive bits of kit) to Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire. We can of course include these crossings in your golf holiday at our reduced rates.
