'Old Head of Kinsale is not overrated': Bill Murray tees off for Irish TV series

The Hollywood star presents a new six-part BBC show following him around some of Ireland's best golf courses 

Bill Murray in Ireland in new BBC series, A Course Called Ireland. 

Expect golf, Guinness and unexpected adventures when Bill Murray swaps the bright lights of Hollywood for the rolling green fairways as he embarks on an Irish road trip with a difference in the upcoming travel documentary, A Course Called Ireland.

Although Murray, 76, is best known for films such as Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day and Lost In Translation, away from the screen the acting giant is an avid golfer. He also has Irish ancestry, so there is a personal connection as he tours the island with his long-time friend, fellow golfing enthusiast and author Tom Coyne. The trip is actually inspired by Coyne’s bestselling book of the same name.

During the six-part series, Murray’s travels take him from Co Cork and Clare to Donegal and the Giant’s Causeway as he tees off on some of Ireland’s most striking golf courses. But while the golf provides the excuse for the adventure, the series is as much about what happens away from the green as he reflects on his life and delves into his Irish heritage.

Along the way, he is joined by his brothers, Joel and John, as well as celebrity friends, including the actor Chris O’Dowd, comedian Joanne McNally and American footballer Jason Kelce. Immersing themselves in Irish life, there are chance encounters with locals, and warm conversations over a pint as Murray explores the people, places and stories of Ireland.

Bill Murray and Joanne McNally inn a scene from A Course Called Ireland. 

Warm, funny and delightfully unpredictable, the series is as much a celebration of friendship and the pleasures of taking the scenic route as it is a golfing adventure with Ireland’s scenery providing a spectacular backdrop.

Here, Murray reveals more about the adventure, his love of golf and why Ireland holds such a special place in his heart.

How did this all come about?

Murray: I read Tom’s book and I gave a comment, which was glowingly positive. It was. I really thought it was a wonderful book, pretty much because the author and myself agreed on what the best places to play in Ireland were. We agreed on the courses. And I thought, wow, this guy’s really smart, really brilliant. He’s almost as smart as I am. So that’s how that came about.

And then the BBC expressed an interest in doing a show about the book. I don’t know why they asked me, but just because of my varied, chequered career in show business, would I be something like an executive producer. To me, that means you get paid, you do nothing. That sounded easy. Didn’t quite work out that way. But anyway, people who see this show like it very much. So, hopefully I will get more credit than Tom or the BBC.

Bill Murray with his friend Tom Coyne, the author whose book inspired the new series.  

Why did you say yes to it?

Well, it sounded like it was going to be a piece of cake. We’d have to go over to Ireland, talk to bartenders, play beautiful golf courses, eat beautiful food, and roll around through a beautiful country. It sounded like a beautiful, beautiful idea. It was the beauty. I’m a sucker for beauty. That’s all.

Is it easy for you to make friends?

No, I don’t think it’s easy to make real friends. I meet a lot of people and I bring a lot of baggage. It is hard for other people to forget the baggage I’m bringing. It’s like, ‘God, do you remember that movie?’ You know, whatever. Also, my life’s always in motion, so I don’t get to spend a lot of time in the crucible with people. We [Tom and I] actually became better friends driving in Ireland because driving in Ireland requires a certain amount of attention.

What do you get out of golf?

I try to explain to people, when people look at you like if they don’t know anything about golf they go, ‘You golf?’ Like I’m some sort of a guy wearing white shoes and white socks and white pants and white clothes. But I grew up as a caddy, and I got to love the game as a caddy. And now I’m a member, which is kind of a ridiculous thing. The funny thing is caddies know I was a caddy and they abuse me like they would a fellow caddy. They do not treat me like a member. They give me all the grief they would give somebody at the caddy shack because they know my upbringing. But the game is great. At its highest explanation, it’s a mind-body attention exercise.

If you had to pick one course to play for ever, which would it be?

I used to think the Tralee course was the prettiest place, but then those ones up in the north, those get real good and crazy. But it’s like, why would I tell you my favourite restaurant? Then I can’t get a reservation. I must say that Old Head [near Kinsale], people blab about it all the time, about how beautiful it is. They always go, ‘It’s like the Irish Pebble Beach.’ I go, 'Yeah? maybe not'. I have got a soft spot for Pebble Beach. But then when we went, we could only see the course for about 45 minutes or an hour before it was enveloped in fog and yet I can tell you that visually and in terms of spectacle, it is not overrated. 

What does Ireland mean to you and did that change during the show?

It only got richer for me because I went to more places than I’d ever been. And it’s just the richest, most beautiful place. I mean, my ancestors are there, my DNA is from there so when I get there, I feel really grounded. First time I went, I said, ‘My God, this is like I’m at a wake. I know everybody.’ Everybody sort of looks like me or looks like a cousin or something like that. It’s just there’s a certain kind of a way that Irish people look and they carry themselves. There’s a sort of a self-deprecating attitude to it.

• A Course Called Ireland launches on BBC iPlayer and BBC One NI on Friday, October 23; and BBC Two on Sunday, October 25 at 9.30pm