Muckish (An Mhucais – The Pig’s Back’) and Errigal (An Earagail – ‘The Oratory’) dominate the mountain ranges in north-west Donegal. Muckish looks like a turf-stack, or, as the name suggests, the back of a pig. Silvery, cone-shaped Errigal is one of the most recognisable mountains in Ireland. The Fanad Peninsula (Fánaid – ‘Sloping Ground’) divides the open scenery of Lough Swilly from narrow and secluded Mulroy Bay, dotted with tiny wooded islands. On the western shore of Mulroy Bay (An Mhaoil Rua – ‘The Red Stream’) are the Rosguill Peninsula (Ros Goill – ‘Goll’s peninsula’) and the Atlantic Drive. To the southwest is Glenveagh National Park with thousands of acres of unspoiled lake and mountain scenery. In south Donegal, the wide peninsula west of Donegal Town pushes out into the Atlantic between Donegal Bay and Loughros More Bay (Luacharos – ‘Rushy Point’). The highest sea cliffs in Europe command the tip of the peninsula at Slieve League (Sliabh Liag – ‘Mountain of the Pillar-stone’).

PORTSALON
18 holes – par 69
On the R247 at Portsalon on the western shore of Lough Swilly.
Telephone: 00 353 74 59459
Golf has been played in Portsalon since 1891 when the club was a founder member of the Golfing Union of Ireland. In those more leisured times, long before the phenomenal growth in golf club membership, it didn’t matter that fairways crisscrossed, there were a few blind drives, and the public path to the lovely beach crossed the 1st and 18th holes.
The setting, beside Ballymastocker Bay below the Knockalla Mountains, is magnificent. From the 1st tee – the hole is a dogleg uphill to the top of a cliff – you can admire the perfect sweep of the dune-backed bay. The sea is on your left. The 2nd is a cracking par 3 played from a tee at the rocky shoreline beneath the 1st green. Sea, beaches and river-mouth are to your left, the cliff juts out to your right, the green is by a low sea-wall some distance away.The 8th is another terrific par 3 with a narrow entrance tot the flag-shaped green tucked into the dunes. The 13th – called ‘The Matterhorn’ because of the pointed rock your second shot must clear – has a blind tee-shot over dunes. The 15th requires another blind tee-shot over a ridge Your second shot must clear the river which flows in front of the green. The 17th par 5 takes you back over the river. It’s a dogleg left, with out-of-bounds on the left, and it’s usually played into the prevailing wind. There’s a stream to be carried on the finishing hole into the wind as well. This is classic links golf, with tight lies, hard,fast greens, exhilariting views and anything from a light breeze to a gale to test your game. You will do well to play to your handicap here. The Fanad Peninsula,while undiscovered by the rest of Ireland, is a favourite spot for people from Belfast. This makes Portsalon very busy at weekends. Try to play on weekdays when it’s quieter.

OTWAY
9 holes – par 64
On the R247 3km/ 2 miles north of Rathmullan on the western shore of Lough Swilly. Signposted.
Telephone: 00 353 74 58319
Otway is quite extraordinary. You won’t have seen anything like it. Perhaps because the Fanad Peninsula is so unspoiled, this quirky relic of the Empire has been able to survive. Colonel Bill Gibson of the Irish Army (who plays at The Curragh, the oldest golf course in Ireland) in his thoroughly researched book on the origins of the game in Ireland – Early Irish Golf – traces the foundation of a club here to a Major Butt in 1893. He also quotes the legend that British Army officers played here in the 1850s. It is easy to imagine British Army officers, based in the martello tower on the headland at Otway, building a course to wile away the time. And what a course! The fairways are crammed into less than 35 acres of flattish links land along the shores of Lough Swilly. The 1st and 9th are between the headland and higher ground only a few hundred metres away on which are perched the 1st/ 10th tee and the 9th/ 18th green. The fairways criss-cross, the greens are surrounded by electric fencing. It’s hard to tell if the sand traps are natural hazards or ancient, man-made bunkers, which have fallen in. The views across Lough Swilly are breathtaking. From the 1st tee, high above several fairways, you can see the mountains of Inishowen, Inch Island and Dunree Head. The martello tower is perched on the edge of the headland jutting out into Lough Swilly. Cattle graze in fields below. The air is filled with flying balls and shouts of “Fore!” On a fine day, Otway is an enchanting place to be. On any day it will test your skill and accuracy. The 9th/ 18th iis played from the headland across a pebble beach to the fairway. The second shot is played blind to the green high above the fairway. Unforgettable. Unmissable if you have the time. Great fun.

The detail in this article was extracted from Emerald Greens - The Essential Guide to Holiday Golf in Ireland by Roisin McAuley, published by Appletree Press.