Travel & Leisure

1. ROYAL COUNTY DOWN, CO DOWN

ROYAK County Down Golf Club, in Newcastle, Co Down, is one of the oldest in Ireland as it first opened in 1889. Royal County Down has two 18-hole courses, the Championship Links and the Annesley Links.

The Championship Links is the flagship course at Royal County Down. Settled in the Murlough Nature Reserve, throughout the course you’ll notice some remarkably picturesque scenery.

If you’re into your photography, make sure to bring your camera for the famous ninth hole on the championship course – one of the most photographed holes in the golf world, thanks to its extraordinary backdrop.

Don’t let the stunning views at Royal County distract you from the difficultly of the course. It is known to be one of the least forgiving and most challenging courses in Ireland.

2. ROYAL PORTRUSH, CO ANTRIM

Royal Portrush Golf Club is another stunning golf course in Northern Ireland. On the beautiful Dunluce Road in Antrim.

Royal Portrush has two great golf courses, the Valley Links and the Dunluce Links. The Dunluce Links is the main golf course at Portrush, as it’s so challenging and well respected in the golf community that it was given the honour of hosting the 1951 Open Championshop.

The Open Championship is set to return to the golf course in 2025, and the course is only getting more difficult in preparation. With the addition of new bunkers, tee boxes and greens, there’s no better spot to get a taste of how the pros play.

3. PORTMARNOCK GOLF LINKS, CO DUBLIN

Portmarnock is our rst Republic of Ireland representative on the list, and what a great place to start. Portmarnock golf links are one of the more famous courses in Ireland based on the Strand Road in Portmarnock.

Portmarnock would be less aggressive than our previous two entries so if you are new to links courses and want a special experience, this is a great option for great value. e golf links also rewrote their history recently. Previously having a strict men members-only policy, a vote was determined to now allow female members – a great step forward for the club.

5 best link courses in Ireland

Links courses in Ireland are, perhaps, some of the oldest and well-respected courses in the history of the gol ng community. Travel2ireland decided to put a list together of the best ve you can play on home turf

4. BALTRAY, CO LOUTH

County Louth Golf Club – better known as Baltray – is a very well-known and prestigious golf course based in the historic Boyne Valley. Just 45 minutes drive from Dublin Airport, Baltray is a favourite for golfers from all over.

When playing Baltray nothing unique stands out, it is as classic a links course as you can imagine. One thing you will struggle with though is the greens. Bring your lucky putter because these greens are some of the most di cult in Ireland. Putts for par will make shivers run down your spine.

5. LAHINCH GOLF CLUB, CO CLARE

Lahinch golf links is another beautiful course in the West of Ireland, found near the town of Ennis in County Clare. Lahinch is not massively well-known but deserves a mention as the course is fantastic.

Lahinch wouldn’t be considered a very di cult course overall but de nitely has its challenging moments. If you are a beginner you can still give this course a go and if you are down to single digits, you may be shocked at some of the surprising challenges you encounter during your round. is is a great course overall with some beautiful scenery around with great photo opportunities.

Life after the pandemic: the best cities to move to

YOU don’t need us to tell you that the past couple of years have been tough. But if they’ve left you with a strong and persistent urge to make a massive life change, we can help you out with some ideas. Like, which of the world’s vibrant and exciting cities you should move to next, for example.

With things looking up for 2022 but a exible WFH approach likely to stay put, you might be in the ideal position to up sticks and move somewhere totally new. If that’s you, these are the cities you should consider starting a new life in next year. e Greek capital, Athens, takes the top spot in a new poll by packaging retailer RAJA. To come up with the ranking, a group of experts analysed data across ten factors including employment rate, cost of living, safety and healthcare. Athens clinched rst place thanks to its high employment rate, a ordable great weather and some pretty exquisite national dishes. We’re packing our bags already.

Here is the Top 10 in full: 1. Athens 2. Austin 3. Barcelona 4. Berlin 5. Cape Town 6. Chiang Mai 7. Christchurch 8. Copenhagen 9. Delhi 10. Dubai

And when it comes to where not to start a new life in 2022? Last year, a list of more than 15,000 expats were polled by InterNations to create this year’s Expat City Ranking. ey said you should swerve places like Rome, Paris and Dublin, mainly because of the cities’ high living costs. Point taken. ey sure are nice places to go on holiday, though.

Either way, a change of scenery... here we come!

New Cat on the Trail for Christmas

A NEW cat is about to join the trail for the hugely successful Kilkenny Cat Walk. e special edition sculpture has been specially created for Kilkenny Yulefest and will be unveiled at e Parade on Saturday December 4th It will be on display in the window of ‘ e Kilkenny Art Gallery’ at 25 Patrick Street. e new addition is a truly family a air, designed and painted by a Kilkenny father and daughters team, each bringing their di erent styles of painting to the project:

Brock Butler has been exhibiting in Kilkenny for many years and has also shown in Dublin, Galway, Belfast, Edinburgh and London as well as at various arts festivals and international art fairs. He has three times been awarded Government per cent for art commissions. Collectors of his work include nancier Dermot Desmond and Senator David Norris, and he is also included in numerous hotel collections around the country.

Jade Butler has been emerging in recent years as a name to watch in the art world. Graduating from West Wales School of the Arts in 2010, her current work is primarily contemporary still life in oils. Her work has been selected for the prestigious annual exhibition of e Royal Hibernian Academy, as well as e Royal Ulster Academy and e Royal Scottish Academy. Her paintings are held in private collections in Europe and America and several public collections including the O ce of Public Works N.I.

Both Brock and Jade have paintings included in the forthcoming Butler Gallery fundraising auction at Lyrath Estate on November 26th.

Blaise Butler is an illustrator and sculptor. Using her middle name Pandora, her work can be seen on Instagram as blaisepandoraart. She most recently exhibited her sculptures at e Secret Garden Exhibition during Kilkenny Arts Festival 2021. Having lived for several years in Australia, where she expanded her artistic range, working for some time with a studio of tattoo artists - she has now returned to Kilkenny and has also returned to Art School to extend her skills even further, studying ceramics at Grennan Mill. e Yulefest cat promises to be a glamorous feline appropriate to the season.

After its launch on December 4th it will be on display at the gallery in Patrick Street until Easter.

For further information contact Marian Flannery on 083 8722444

Note: In October e Kilkenny Civic trust launched e Kilkenny Catwalk Trail with 21 cat sculptures, painted by some of the elite of Kilkenny’s artists such as Francis Tansey, Eamon Colman, Bernie Kiely, Blaise Smith and Elizabeth Cope. ey are currently located at various locations around the city. More information is available at www.kilkennycatwalk.ie

Learning to prioritise what is really relevant in life

“ e Swedes have a word: ‘dostadning’ which translates as ‘death cleaning’, and it is all about decluttering now, so that others are not burdened by doing it after we have died. is practice makes it easier for our loved ones later.” A striking yet simultaneously thought provoking truth that has a profound impact as you read Judith Ashton’s new book, “Be Prepared”. e recently published book gives a fresh perspective on death and its positive aspects.

A Fluency in language

It is clear that the author possesses a strong sense of self, which is evident through her comfortable discussion of stereotypically burdensome subjects of conversation. is uency in language paired with con dent expression creates a tone of tranquillity which one would believe was the author’s initial objective. is ability to comfort people in situations that display themselves as onerous may stem from her background as a body-psychotherapist, and massage and meditation teacher.

Add to that her experience in speaking on death and dying at the 1st Scandinavian Conference and in teaching medical sta the signi cance of touch in palliative care, has advanced her capabilities in embracing what is inescapable through a gentle yet direct manner.

A Mix Of Logic And Emotion

e author’s intelligent approach to death lies in the basis of both logic and emotion.

She states that death, like birth, is part of life.

“Without death there would be no life, and without life there would be no death”.

One would believe that this statement allows us to ponder on the occurrence that displays itself as the terror of departure from life, and why we tend to avoid the potential openness in exchange of views with respect to this topic.

We, as inquisitive social beings, speak so loosely and with freedom on various subject matters.

Best For All To Be Prepared

Frequently, in keeping, that these matters are of routine, and avoid displaying unfamiliar outcomes to which we do not have plausible answers.

In the book Judith Ashton is attempting, and succeeding, in breaking this societal construct by encouraging discussion of death and that it is okay, if not better, to be prepared for its arrival.

Once we move past the stage of acceptance, we can enter into the stage of preparation.

As people with knowledge and experience in life continuously being obtained, the authors optimistically infused outlook on this mundane discussion of the inevitable is actually quite refreshing.

One has to admire her ability in embracing this stage in the cycle of life that most people run from.

Furthermore, her buoyancy in stance towards this topic becomes increasingly empowering, as opposed to discouraging.

Some points which come to the fore are,

Amend fractures in relationships; Declutter your life, both literally and metaphorically; Spread kindness in a world where areas are vacant in possession of love; and lastly, stay true to oneself.

A Matter of Communication

e principle messages that are being exercised through the book collectively link back to simple communication.

Whether this form of communication is through a “letter to my nearest and dearest”, “putting legal a airs in order” or “wishes for immediately after death”.

Life isn’t about where we began or the nal destination, it’s about the journey we experience in between.

And death is not an occasion to be mourned but a celebration to be embraced.

Judith Ashton’s new book ‘Be Prepared’, is both interesting and thought provoking and contains some fascinating stories from clients and friends.

Available to purchase on line at www.beprepared.ie

Front cover of Judith Ashton’s book ‘Be Prepared’. Photo by Ashley –Batz-Betm