Fáilte Ireland Familiarisation Trip

Fáilte Ireland Familiarisation Trip is a short golf blog post about my recent trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland on behalf of Premier Golf.

I was recently invited by Fáilte Ireland & Limerick Travel to take part in a familiarisation trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland.

What is a Familiarisation Trip

A Familiarisation Trip gives Tour Operators and industry professionals the chance to experience a destination, product or service for themselves.

The goal of such a trip is to gain a deeper understanding of the product & service, which will make it easier to promote and pass on information to potential clients, in this case, golfers.

I have been a few times to Ireland & Northern Ireland on such trips, but without my clubs. This time was different, and I was excited to play despite a frozen shoulder.

Fáilte Ireland Familiarisation Trip

After waking up at 4 am, I gathered my bags and set off to Edinburgh Airport.

The flight, with Ryanair, is only a short one of 50 minutes.

I touched down on Monday morning at Dublin Airport. After scrambling my baggage together, I left the airport in a taxi to Portmarnock Hotel & Jameson Golf Links.

Portmarnock Hotel & Jameson Golf Links

By the time I had arrived, all of the groups had already teed off. I quickly got changed and met my playing partners on the 13th hole, after hitching a ride to them off the starter.

I was previously aware that the golf course had undergone some major changes, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this ready in such a short space of time.

The golf course, for the time of year, was in excellent condition and I really enjoyed my game of golf in Ireland.

My playing partners were Jonathan, Peter & Joe, who were very friendly and a joy to play with. Thanks guys.

County Louth & Seapoint Golf Links.

After a short lunch break, which was a chicken wrap, muesli bar, apple & a bottle of water, we climbed aboard the coach, which took us north to County Louth GC.

This was just a quick site visit to experience, for ourselves, the travelling time, the clubhouse (which is under construction) and a meet & greet with the General Manager.

Then it was back on the coach in the direction os Seapoint Golf Links.

A very warm welcome was given to us by the staff, including Tea/Coffee and some sandwiches and cake.

Whilst we were enjoying the refreshments, the Managing Director, Andrew, explained the facilities that they offer to visitors, including some great packages.

Then it was a case of heading down to the 10th tee to play the back 9 of this impressive golf course, especially the last 3 holes along the sand dunes.

My playing partners were Finlo, Jonathan and Liam. I enjoyed our game very much.

After the round of golf, we enjoyed a couple of drinks at the bar and a chat with the Managing Director, who gave us more details on the packages that they have.

I had a quick tour of the clubhouse before staggering back onto the coach to head South again to Carton House.

Carton House (A Fairmont Managed Hotel and my favourite place)

On arrival, you are blown away at the beauty of Carton House. It is a stunning estate which goes way back to 1170, when it was awarded to Maurice Fitzgerald, Lord of Maynooth.

We experienced a warm welcome and great handling of our luggage.

We checked into our rooms and later met at reception for a site visit by the wonderful Karen Nelson, Luxury Leisure Sales Manager.

During the show around, we visited a Suite and the Bell Room, part of the History tour. That was a really interesting stop.

After the site visit was over, we sat down for an evening meal in the Carriage House across the old Stables.

It was a very enjoyable meal with a great selection of food and drink.

At 10:00 pm, we were invited to take part in a Whiskey tasting in the Whiskey Library.

A great selection of Whiskeys to taste, starting with a Liqueur, then on to a Single Malt, followed by a Pot Still and then finishing with a Blended Whiskey.

A very enjoyable experience (except for the Pot Still, that wasn’t to my taste)

Carton House Golf – Omeara Course (Back 9)

I had the pleasure of playing the Omeara Course with 3 great guys, Barry, Karl & Liam McCool, the Director of Golf at Carton House.

It was a lovely course in great conditions and I can’t wait to go back and play the rest of the course and the Montgomerie Course too.

Then after a nice lunch in the sunny courtyard, it was back on the coach to head for Killeen Castle.

Killeen Castle (My favourite place next to Carton House)

Entering the grounds, you pass Killeen Castle itself before passing the new accommodations, then on to the clubhouse for a very warm welcome, as always.

The facilities at Killeen Castle are second to none.

Accommodation is split between a few separate buildings but ecery room is flexible for couples, twins or families.

All of the guest rooms are modern and well appointed.

There is a golf academy and driving range, a putting green and an excellent golf course that is in great condition for this time of year.

The Clubhouse is excellent. Great changing facilities, bar and restaurant with a great oudoor seating area.

We enjoyed a superb lunch in the sunroom before heading out to the course.

After a good chat it was nice to get back onto the bus to head for the K Club.

The K Club

On arrival, we were handed our room keys and then left to our own devices, very little help from the reception team.

We were under time stress as our meal was starting in 10 minutes and we couldn’t find some of the rooms, which seemed to be the rooms that were furthest from reception.

Eventually, we found the rooms and threw in the bags, before heading off to dinner.

The K Club – Palmer North (Back 9)

Famous for hosting the Ryder Cup in 2006, the Palmer North Course is iconic.

On the course, I couldn’t stop thinking of Darren Clarke playing here, after losing his wife a few weeks before. (I’ll stop there before tears hit my keyboard)

After the golf we had time for a sandwich and a coffee before heading off to The Island GC.

The Island Golf Club

Another warm welcome from the team at The Island GC.

We had lunch consisting of soup and a sandwich and a bottle of water, which hit the spot.

I had heard only good things from clients and friends who had played there before so I was looking forward to the round.

We played the front 9 holes which were in excellent condition. The greens were fast and true, which is all you can ask for, as a golfer.

I played with Martin, Shane & Ciaran, who made me feel very welcome. It was a great round of golf.

Looking forward to visiting again in the future to play the rest of it.

We stopped here for a quick drink before crawling back onto the bus and heading off to Malahide for dinner at the Old Street Restaurant.

Portmarnock Golf Hotel & Jameson Links

At the hotel, we checked into our seaview rooms to relax for thenight before heading to our final stop and the highlight of the tour.

Portmarnock Golf Club (18 holes of Championship Golf)

We enjoyed another warm welcome and some further hospitality in the restaurant before our tee times.

My playing partners for the final round were Barry, Jennifer & Paul (A famous Hurler)

It was an excellent day on the Links and another bucket list course ticked off the list.

To top it all, we had fantastic weather with very little wind and blazing sunshine, which burnt most of us on the trip.

A superb few days, had by all, thanks to Joe, Peter, Martin, Shane, Paul and everyone else involved in organising this trip.

A special thank you to all of my playing partners for their patients on the courses.

If you wish to book any of the hotels or golf mentioned on this trip, then why not drop me a line on graeme.fish@premiergolf.com

Check out the Premier Golf website for packages to Ireland and Northern Ireland.

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