Irish Golf Travel Information
This section provides some useful general information on Irish golf travel. Specific golf travel information is provided on our Golf in Ireland page.
GETTING TO IRELAND
Ireland's major international airports are at Shannon, Dublin, Cork and Belfast. These are well served from Great Britain, Continental Europe and the U.S.A. There are numerous regional airports some of which have direct flights serving U.K. and European airports. Full information is available on the Golf Tour Arrivals page.
Either Shannon or Dublin airports are best suited to golf tours of the Midland region. Tours of the Western region are best using Shannon, Knock, Galway or Sligo. Belfast, Derry, Donegal or Sligo are the best airports for golf trips to the Northwest region. Dublin can be used as the arrival port for west and northwest regions but will require an extra 2-3 hours on arrival and departure days.
U.K. golf groups may prefer to arrive by ferry from the many routes available across the Irish sea. Principal arrival sea ports are Rosslare, Dublin or Belfast (and Larne).
There are ferry connections from both France and Spain to both Rosslare and Cork.
ARRIVING FROM U.S.A OR CANADA
Direct flights from the U.S.A. arrive in either Shannon or Dublin airports. Unfortunately United, the last carrier to offer a service, have discontinued their route from Newark Airport to Belfast International Airport.
Alas also, Dublin Airport Authority that runs Dublin, Cork and Shannon Airports, has a policy of only promoting Dublin Airport and its shiny new Terminal 2. Since the 2008 crash airlines no longer serve Shannon as they once did. On a bighter note Aer Lingus has opened summer routes between Dublin and new U.S. cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami, Hartford and Philadelphia.
Aer Lingus also operates routes from Toronto, another option for Canadian golfers who are well served by the three Canadian airlines Air Canada, Air Transat and WsetJet.
Flights may also be arranged via London or another U.K. airport.
Trans-Atlantic flights generally depart in the evening and arrive at Shannon or Dublin in the early morning. To adjust a 2-3 hour sleep is recommended in the late morning/early afternoon on the day of arrival. We normally arrange a transfer from the airport direct to your accommodation. Golf on arrival day is optional, for those dedicated golfers we normally arrange tee-off time close to the arrival airport and as early after arrival as common sense allows.
INTERNAL TRAVEL AND TRAVEL TIMES
Irelands road network is extensive but the quality of roads varies from motorway to narrow country roads. Major improvement programs are underway in certain places and roadworks are a common feature. Signposting is generally good but can be poor or missing in certain places.
As a general guide, expect to allow 45-50 miles per hour for any journey although this can vary depending on the time of day. Some rural routes (e.g. Westport to Belmullet) can be slower. Your tour information pack (self drive tours) will provide information on expected journey times. We will inform you during the tour of any expected delays so that appropriate allowances can be made.
As can be seen from the map, Ireland's motorway network emanates arterially from Dublin with some routes (e.g. to Cork, Galway or Belfast) being total and others being only partial.
PRICES
Ireland has once again been criticised for becoming an overpriced tourist destination. This is a result of unprecedented post-pandemic demand and there is an element of truth to the argument - especially in well known destinations. Accommodation prices in Dublin during major sporting or 'cultural' events (if Taylor Swift is cultural) are prohibitively expensive. Accommodation prices elsewhere are also high, a combination of factors contribute including staffing costs, general costs but also that the Irish government see fit to pay €200 per room per night for hotels to house refugees. This has resulted in not only a loss of bed capacity, particlualry at the lower end but also a benchmark price per room at ANY accommodation of somewhere around €200.
The demand for the premier links golf courses post pandemic has also soared. Premier courses have now exceeded or are approching €400 per round. This has dragged prices up across all links courses so that very few now offer any real value for money. There is still however excellent value at inland (parkland, non-links) courses.
CURRENCY
Ireland's currency is the Euro (€). Irish banks are part of international networks and accept foreign ATM cards including Plus, Link, Cirrus etc. Credit/Debit Cards are almost universally accepted for payments in shops, bars, restaurants etc. Currency exchange (for those that still use it) is widely available at airports, banks, hotels and tourist offices. .
NON-GOLFING ACTIVITIES
Ireland's tourist attractions include the relaxed atmosphere and famed friendliness of the people, a healthy environment and stunning scenery. Coupled with internationally recognised historical and literary associations, this makes the country a destination with a lot to offer for such a relatively small island.
Our regions are popular tourist destinations in their own right. From the majestic Shannon river and ancient bogs of Midland Ireland, to the speldour of Connemara and the wild Atlantic in the Western region, and the magnificent scenery of Donegal in the North West there is plenty to admire along your golfing route.
In addition to the scenery, activities and attractions are plentiful. They are more fully described in the Irish Golf Guide pages. A more comprehensive tourist guide to Ireland can be found by following the links below.
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