Did you know that over 1/3 of the world’s links golf courses are located in Ireland? This country is considered by many professional golfers to be the top golf destination in the world. People from all over come to the kelly green country to play at one of the many seaside courses. Here are just a few:

In Cork, we have the Old Head Golf Links. This site is located on a peninsula on the southern coast of Ireland, sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean. It is hundreds of feet above rugged cliffs and golfers can appreciate the stunning view from every hole.

In Northern Ireland is the Ballyliffin Golf Club, opened in 1947. This course offers spectacular views of surrounding dunes, coastline and ocean. There are two links course and 36 holes here. The old links have recently been refined, and the new links fashioned around the surrounding dunes. Either one you choose will be a great game!

In Dublin is the Royal Dublin Golf Club. Established in 1885, this is one of the oldest courses in Ireland. Royal Dublin is located on Bull Island, 4 miles from Dublin City center, accessed by a one lane wooden bridge. This club has been visited by many famous people, including former President Bill Clinton. And, while you’re in Dublin, you might as well go to the Guinness Brewery -AKA Guinness Storehouse- and see how this wonderful brew is made.

If this sounds like a great vacation to you, now is the ideal time to book your airfare to Ireland for this summer and get the best rate possible!

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and St. Patrick, as much as the Irish flag is, is identified with the country. St. Patrick, or St. Paddy as he is sometimes referred to, enjoys the fierce devotion of the Irish around the globe. St. Patrick was an Englishman, however. When he was a young man, he was captured by Irish raiders and was brought to Ireland as a slave. After six years of captivity, he was able to escape back home. He entered the priesthood, became a bishop and returned to Ireland.

A famous story about St. Patrick is about him driving away all the snakes from Ireland. This is a quite famous story, a story further fueled by the fact that there really are no snakes in Ireland today.

There are several versions to this story. There is the dramatic version with him standing atop a hill, holding his cane, ordering all the snakes in the island to leave Ireland and never to return again. The snakes all rushed into the sea and never came back.

Another version states that an old snake refused to leave the island. St. Patrick had to use cunning and wit to drive away this wise, old snake. St. Patrick brought a box and asked the snake to get in the box. The old snake would not and insisted that the box was too small. Patrick said it was the right size. To prove that the box really is small, the snake got into the box. The moment the snake got in the box, St. Patrick sealed the box and threw it into the sea.

There are a lot of stories linking St. Patrick and Ireland, but this snake-driving story is the best-known. If you ask any Irish why there are no snakes in Ireland, you’ll probably hear about how St. Patrick drove the snakes away many years ago.