Kirby is king of the Castle

FRIEND and colleague of Jack Nicklaus, disciple of the legendary Robert Trent Jones, outstanding architect in his own right.

That’s Ron Kirby, a 71-year-old American who lives life as if he was half that age. And now he is about to delight Irish golfers by producing a golf course in Co Clare that will quickly and easily sit alongside other Irish masterpieces he has helped to create, like Mount Juliet and the Old Head near Kinsale.

Kirby isn’t exactly building an entirely new course at luxurious Dromoland Castle. It just feels that way. With due respect to those who came before, the original layout was not in keeping with the remainder of this superb estate. If there was to be a golf course, it had to be a good one. And that’s why, after some hesitancy, the owners of Dromoland decided to bite the bullet.