A 7 day break WITH 5 ROUNDS OF GOLF FREE!
Special price - *from €685*
per person land only
To book email ireland@irishluxury.com
or call 1-800-8945712 or +353 1 2889355
Departures November 1st 2009 – May 20th 2010
- book by February 1st 2010
Arrive Dublin Airport. Pick up you self drive car and head off towards Oliver Goldsmith's Village of Roses on the banks of the Shannon where it opens out into Lough Ree. You will probably want to relax for the afternoon, or try out the entertainment in one of Glasson's pubs, or drive into Athlone, 10 minutes away, and one of the largest and most historic inland towns in Ireland.
Recommended by Georgina Campbell's excellent Ireland Guide, she writes of Glasson Country Club, your home for the next 5 nights:-
Beautifully situated in an elevated position overlooking Lough Ree, the Reid family’s impressive hotel has been developed around their fine old family home; although the golfing dimension, designed by Ryder Cup winner Christy O'Conner, has earned an international reputation as one of Ireland’s premier inland courses, the hotel is equally geared to non golfers, and it is a lovely place to stay.
Bright and contemporary, with a welcoming atmosphere, it has grown a lot of late, and each addition has been carefully designed to enhance the property. The spacious, gently contemporary bedrooms are thoughtfully furnished and most have balconies to make the most of excellent views of the lough or over the golf course.
Both the bar and restaurant have been recently refurbished, and in these areas the style is warmly traditional.
Glasson is in the very middle of Ireland -half way between Dublin and Galway, with Limerick, Clare, Sligo and Tipperary all being within an easy days touring.
Your package includes two rounds of golf here, 1 Round of Golf at Athlone Golf Club, 1 Round of Golf at Esker Hills Golf Club and 1 Round of Golf at New Forest Golf Club .
By the Western shores of Lough Ree at Hodson Bay, Athlone Golf Club is a delightful and interesting challenge. Features a demanding opening 3 holes before wending it's way through magnificent lakeside terrain with an excellent variety of golf holes. Look out especially for the 1st, 2nd, 8th, 12th, 14th , 16th and the long 18th. Par 71 - 6,570 Yards
Designed by Chirsty O'Connor Jnr. and opened in 1996 Esker Hills Golf Club is destined for the highest placings in golf course rankings. Set in 175 acres of naturally undulating hills (eskers) , this golf course is tough but never unfair. Agreement on the outstanding holes will be difficult to reach, but Esker Hills is certain to be a strong contender for best course in the Midlands. No Irish golf break is complete without a round at Esker Hills. Par 71 - 7,280 Yards
And rated as one of the top 100 golf courses in the
world, New Forest
A
mateur golf legend and Walker Cup stalwart Peter McEvoy fronts the Sporting Projects golf design company and they have been responsible for the creation of over thirty new golf courses – half of them in Ireland – since the mid 1990s. McEvoy is better known in the Emerald Isle for his earlier designs at Fota Island and Powerscourt but this more recent addition to his portfolio at New Forest has brought with it much critical acclaim since it was opened for play in the summer of 2006. Part of a development that will, in the near future, include a hotel and residential accommodation, the course is complemented by a 18th century former estate manor house which has been impressively converted into a most interesting and inviting clubhouse. Located in the heart of the Irish Midlands, the 18-hole New Forest parkland course is laid out over gently undulating terrain in such a way that the routing ensures most of the mature trees and marshland within the estate remains
untouched. The most difficult hole on the outward half precedes back-to-back par fives at holes 5 and 6. The 455-yard, par four 4th begins with an intimidating drive (where the tee shot must avoid out of bounds on the left) and ends with an approach to a green guarded by sand and water. The front nine concludes with a 128-yard, par three hole that is rather unique as it is located entirely within a walled garden! The 12th and 13th are feature holes on the inward half. Hole 12 is stroke index 1 on the scorecard and rightly so as it’s a demanding par four, dominated by a tree in the middle of an island fairway surrounded by streams – shades of the 17th at Carnoustie here! The 13th is a great driving hole, played through a chute of trees to a green protected by a pond and framed by oak and beech trees.
When not golfing there are a host of things to do - 
Heritage
Athlone Castle Interpretative Centre.
Dun-na-Si Heritage Park, (and Genealogical Centre), Moate.
Historical sites
Clonmacnoise,a stunning early Christian site.
Boyle Abbey.
King House, Boyle, Co.Roscommon.
Strokestown Irish Famine Museum.
Gardens
Belvedere House, Mullingar - Restored 2000. A jewel in the midlands. Belvedere is a superb 160 acre estate on the shores of Lough Ennell
comprising a wonderful 18th century hunting lodge, walled garden and landscaped
park.
Tullynally Castle, Castlepollard - Romantic Woodland and walled gardens created over three centuries.
Larchhill Archadian Gardens Larchill is the only complete 'Ferme Ornée' in Europe-an ornamental 18th century farm and landscaped parkland.
Birr
Castle - one of the finest gardens in Europe
Places to visit
Bog Tour - Clonmacnoise & Offaly Railway.
Goldsmith Country - Glasson Museum and Heritage Centre.
Museums
Locke’s Distillery, Kilbeggan.
Athlone Castle Museum.
Day Trips on the Shannon
Athlone Cruisers, Jolly Mariner Marina, Athlone.
Rosanna Cruisers, Athlone.
Walking Routes
Athlone Walking Tours, Deer Park, Glasson.
Mullingar Walking Tour.
Royal Canal Walking Route.
On the sixth morning after breakfast head back to Dublin's Fair City
Dublin has long been a centre of art and culture. Stroll through the elegant Georgian streets of Merrion and Fitzwilliam Squares, shop in the elegant emporiums of Grafton Street and Powerscourt Townhouse, explore the collections of the National Museum and National Gallery, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and many fine small private collections. The range of art and artefacts is enormous, and you will have no problem spending many hours enthralled.. The city is over a thousand years old, and many of the towns and settlements that surround it are equally ancient. Successive centuries have left their distinctive overlays of character and architecture which means that Dublin has a wealth of historically significant and fascinating sights to explore such as Dublin Castle, where the Normans ruled from the 12th Century, St Patrick's Cathedral, of which Jonathan Swift was Dean, and Trinity College, famous for The Book of Kells and for its alumni who include Oscar Wilde and Oliver Goldsmith. And no visit to Dublin could be complete without visiting either the Old Whiskey Distillery or the Guinness Storehouse!
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You will be staying in the top range 4* Burlington Hotel in the Dublin 4 area of the town. This is a 20 minute walk or 5 minute bus or taxi ride from Temple Bar and Trinity, but is quieter and more elegant than the city center. Your neighbours are embassies and billionaires, but there is still a lovely neighbourhood feel, with bars galore (and great music), restaurants, street cafes and shops.
Next day a fond farewell to the Emerald Isle and back to Dublin Airport.
The total cost is €685 per person sharing, - 6 nights accommodation, including breakfast service and tax, a compact self drive car and 5 rounds of golf.
Golf club hire (Taylormade, Calloway or Ping clubs) is available.
Upgrades to suites, 5* accommodation in Dublin, and automatic shift cars is available. Additional nights are €85 per person sharing including the hire car.
Special
price - *from €685* per person land only (approx $1,000) for 7 days
To book email ireland@irishluxury.com
or call 1-800-8945712 or +353 1 2889355
Departures November 1st 2009 – May 20th 2010
- book by February 1st 2010
Adams & Butler, Hallmark of Luxury Travel since 1978
US Toll Free 1-800-8945712