Boruma - Irish by heritage, family by name

Traveling to Ireland or merely considering as much? If there for family and culture, one can’t put in to words the experience you’ll have playing golf, shopping, or in the pubs catching a traditional music session. But as a tourist, Ireland has some of the most astounding landscape with attractions unmatched any where in the world. Combined with modern cities whose histories pass thousands of years, it is hard to know where to begin.

There is something to be said for a simple list to guide your way; we’re going to keep the list brief, as we’ll no doubt cover each of these topics in detail at some point, so to set you off on the right foot, here are the top 10 things to do in Ireland. Let’s start with Dublin and we’ll head clockwise around Erin to keep your bearings and plan your way:

1. Dublin: The largest city and capital; located near the middle of Ireland’s east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey. Greek astronomer Ptolemy provides the earliest known reference to human habitation in the area having referred to a settlement called Eblana Civitas around A.D. 140. The settlement of ‘Dubh Linn’ seems to date back as far as the first century BC though the town is known to have been established in about 841 by the Vikings who planned the city carefully, laying out homes and streets with such attention to detail that it stands as a model of early urban development. The city has a world-famous literary history, having produced many prominent literary figures, including William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, Samuel Beckett and Dracula’s creator, Bram Stoker and James Joyce. Home to reknowned heritage such as the Book of Kells as well as nightlife that rivals, well, maybe, Ibiza in Temple Bar. Dublin is as famous for its music as any in Ireland; perhaps more so having fostered U2, The Dubliners, The Boomtown Rats, Sinéad O’Connor, and Thin Lizzy at historic venues like the Point Theatre (sorry, the O2). We could go on and on about Dublin; needless to say, a trip to Dublin is a trip to Rome, Barcelona, London and Prague in one.
2. Glendalough: Heading south and bit west, we find a monestary built throughout the centuries of great Christian design, as much as the wonderous catholic cathedrals make one quake with awe, Glendalough will have you considering a future as a mock. Meaning ‘Glen of Two Lakes,’ Glendalough is in a glacial near mountain lakes in County Wicklow. Pictures speak a thousand words in the case of Glendalough.
3. Rock of Cashel: From the monestary to the seat of kings, we’ll find the Rock of Cashel west and north of Glendalough. This church and fortress, too a monestary, is easily the Emerald Isle’s most stunning reminder of medieval Ireland. The Rock of Cashel served as the traditional seat of the Kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norse invasions. While unfortunate that few of the earliest structures survive, the extensive development that remains dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. Reminding us of the near impossibility of being untouched by an O’Brien, In 1647, Cashel was ravaged by English Parliamentarian troops under Murrough O’Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin. The Irish Confederate troops there were massacred, as were the Roman Catholic clergy. The earliest and tallest of the Cashel structures still found and worth catching is the round tower while the Chapel of King Cormac, Cormac’s Chapel, from 1127-1134, is an unusually sophisticated and decorated Irish church.
4. Ring of Kerry: The mountains, streams, and lakes of the Ring of Kerry, west of where we’ve been, are unique in all the world. The ring is a trail that the 170 km, circular road, starting from Killarney taking us through the Iveragh Peninsula and to Kenmare, Waterville, and Killorglin. While an island, with most of Ireland bringing you close the ocean and its bounty and character, it is in the Ring of Kerry where you feel most at home in Ireland’s harmony with the sea. Though centuries apart in age, Kerry has the comfort and expected familiarity of a Northeast United States fishing town (though saying as much doesn’t do it justice).
5. 5. Cliffs of Moher: Looking north to O’Brien’s Tower we find perhaps the most picturesque spot in Ireland at the 600 foot sea cliffs of Moher. O’Brien Tower, incidentally, is a stone crafted, round at about the midpoint of the cliffs. It was built by Sir Cornelius O’Brien, a descendant Brian Boru, in 1835. From atop the tower, one can view the Aran Islands and Galway Bay (we’ll get to both in a minute) as well as the Maum Turk Mountains to the north and Loop Head to the south.
6. Aran Islands: Curious what life in Ireland was like 100 years ago? These craggy islands off the west coast of Ireland give us a taste with culture almost untouched since the turn of the last century. The largest island is Inishmore (Árainn Mhór or Inis Mór), the middle and second-largest is Inishmaan (Inis Meáin / Inis Meadhóin) and the smallest and most eastern is Inisheer (Inis Thiar or Inis Oírr / Inis Oirthir). Irish, as you might suspect from the names, is the spoken language on all three islands, giving you a unique glipse at a rare culture responsible for the beautiful Aran Sweater. Distinguished by their use of complex, textured stitch patterns from unscoured wool, which gained world renowned in the 1950′s. While there, be sure to see O’Brien’s Castle on Inis Oírr which was built in the 14th century and taken from the O’Briens by the O’Flaherty clan of Connemara in 1582; I still hold a grudge.
7. Galway: North and east, almost directly west of Dublin, is the city that could be said to rival it. Not in size, but culture and energy (and growth), as the college town of Galway, home to the National University of Ireland, is nicknamed Ireland’s Cultural Heart (Croí Cultúrtha na hÉireann); renowned for its extensively active lifestyle with numerous festivals, celebrations and events. The university holds the UNESCO archive of spoken material for the Celtic languages and not for the impact of the University alone, Galway’s growth and dynamic culture is driven by its being the most central port on the West Coast of Ireland; in the eastern corner of Galway Bay.
8. Giant’s Causeway: There is no way to really explain this strange conglomeration of honeycomb shaped stones on the Antrim Coast of Ireland, north of our time in Galway. This 1768, Susanna Drury engraving perhaps best captures the wonder of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of ancient volcanic eruptions. Legend has it that the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight Benandonner.
9. Belfast: Southeast of the causeway is the impressive architecture and culture of Belfast; capital of Northern Ireland and host of The Troubles. A city of industry devastated by the period of ethno / political conflict which spilled into England, the Republic of Ireland, and as far as mainland Europe from the late 1960s to the late 1990s. As a result of peace accords in the late 90′s, a trip to Belfast is as rich as any in Ireland, affording a glimpse of wonders such as Cavehill, thought to be the inspiration for Jonathan Swift’s novel, Gulliver’s Travels. Belfast’s industrial roots are best known as the home of the Titanic.
   
10. Newgrange: Finally, south to Newgrange where stone age tombs bring us full circle from the modern age of Dublin to the ancestry of Ireland found through places like Newgrange. Found along the Boyne River Valley, Newgrange is known as Ireland’s Stonehenge for good reason. Over 5000 years old Newgrange is one of the most famous prehistoric sites, remarkably built in such a way that at dawn on the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, a narrow beam of sunlight illuminates the floor of the chamber at the end of the long passageway. Consisting of large neolithic mounds and megalithic art, Newgrange is now host to classic Irish mythology, as one of the sidhe, or fairy-mounds, where the Tuatha Dé Danann lived after conquering the island from the Fir Bolg.

Need more? Here’s a great list of things to do in Ireland (they make mention of a Hooker race in Galway which I have to read a bit more about… at least it validates Galway’s legacy). Have your own thoughts? Start an Irish travel blog with or plan an event with Boruma.

Welcome back, assuming you've joined us, find a group or start your own Irish blog.

What better place to start our reviews of great courses than with that which is consistently rated among the top ten courses in the world by professional golfers and journalists alike? It has been said that the Old Course in Ballybunion, County Kerry, Ireland was laid within the contours of the natural landscape creating, “the finest seaside course I’ve ever laid eyes upon.”

Booking well in advance is essential so I’m lucky to say I have had the luxury, a few years ago, and can attest to the fact that when played fully, Ballybunion can easily qualify as the peak of your golfing experiences. On the coast of the Atlantic, renown for its turbulent and fickle weather, you’ll find yourself in both light rains and sun, wind and calm, all within the span of a few hours play. Combined with the tiered landscape, hidden bunkers, and long dune grass that lies between the links, merely setting your eyes on the green is to feel the apprehension of golf. I can only liken it to staring out at turbulent, rolling ocean from a small Boston Whaler. Ballybunion is the course that will challenge your patience more than your skill, leaving that pint at the end so much the more rewarding.

155 yards will bring you to the end of the 8th, preceded by a gentle slope upon which you’d imagine you could just give the ball a gentle push down to the green; were it not for the devious break in the fairway. What awaits you though is an elevated green, surrounded by sand, demanding your best to avoid a double-bogey. The 11th, a 446-yard par 4, is perched right on the ocean cliffs with the wind whipping up from the sea such that you’ll learn to appreciate that slice. As to the best indication of my play, and the character of those that accompanied us on our round? My 70 year old caddy and I traipsing the hills around 10… and 13… and 15. He, epitomizing the image you have in your mind of a classic Irish golfer; club in hand swatting the grass, opposite arm crooked on his back as he patiently paces the grass, occasionally letting slip a fantastic story or a crack at my uncanny ability to stay off the fairway.

One of the joys of golf in Ireland, or Scotland I’d imagine, is the strict observance of the “Etiquette of Golf” in such a way as to make you feel like you are part of something unique and historic. Never commercialized to the extent golf in the U.S. can be; no carts, amiable caddies who play so well they should probably tour (and probably have), no sense of being rushed when taking your 15th shot. The walk is what makes the game while the standard of dress leaves you wishing for those Golf Knickers your fraternity brothers gave you as a gag. My caddy’s dedication to the game outlasted mine as I reluctantly (and repeatedly) cut my losses, removed a fresh sleeve, and took a stroke resulting in the rare occasion when I was without his advice and attention. He, pacing the hill, was determined to ensure I play my first shots throughout – as it lay, as I played.

After playing Ballybunion for the first time, a man would think that the game of golf originated here.

In truth, one of the most profound images still in my mind is from the 16th green as you look across the 1st fairway; a centuries old cemetery (so common in Ireland) lines the course, reminding you of the history and heritage before you. I can’t deny that I had the benefit of a unique experience. Was it the green swells tipped with yellow grass? The history and culture of which I felt a par? My game? *ahem* or my party? No, not the caddy who so attentively improved my game but the most treasured opportunity to play golf in Ireland, at one of the world’s greatest courses, with your brother and father alone.

Have you played Ireland? Share your experience so we can highlight the best. What’s your favorite course or do you have a great story about your game? Join us here.