Iron Ireland
MARK THOMAS heads to Belfast to indulge in two of his passions – golf and Game of Thrones
THE epic struggle for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms may be over, but two new armies are marching north this summer. Northern Ireland’s ancient castles, ruggedly beautiful coastline and magnificent countryside have provided locations for a decade of filming of the blockbuster TV series Game of Thrones, and now thousands of fans are flocking over to see for themselves where the magic was made.
You can take in these exciting sights on a range of organised or self-drive tours, and this summer there is a new attraction for fans of the HBO series, with a spectacular touring exhibition featuring many of the original props and costumes from Westeros making its UK debut in Belfast.
Meanwhile, an equally passionate legion of golf fans is forming to head for Northern Ireland, as the world’s most prestigious and historic golf tournament, The Open Championship, makes its first visit to the country in 68 years this July.
Royal Portrush in County Antrim is the only venue outside England and Scotland to have staged The Open. And it is safe to predict that the 148th championship will make a significantly bigger international impact than the 80th did.
Max Faulkner’s 1951 triumph was shared with the world via a brief black and white Movietone newsreel for cinema audiences.
This year’s return to Royal Portrush will be televised from dawn to dusk in intense detail, exposing the Causeway Coast in all its dramatic glory to a world audience of 600 million people.
As a fan of both golf and GoT, when the opportunity arose to sample these two Northern Ireland delights in one trip I had little choice but to bend the knee and pack my clubs.
The Game of Thrones Experience is housed in the Titanic Exhibition Centre (TEC) and is in Belfast until September 1 as part of a world tour.
On arrival you are immediately immersed in the world of Westeros, with a greeting from one of the enthusiastic local hosts, all of whom have acted as extras in the series.
Our host points proudly to one of his colleagues who, he claims, “has killed more people in the eight series of GoT than anyone except the dragons”.
You are then treated to a short video presentation of highlights from the series to get you in the mood, before being released to explore at your leisure the costumes, props, and settings from the iconic Iron Throne Room to Castle Black and the tree-lined pathway of the Kingsroad.
There are two new elements exclusive to Belfast – the sets of the Winterfell Crypt and the Dragon Skull Pit.
In the vast and sacred crypt of Winterfell, guarded by stone direwolves, fans can pay their respects to six of the Stark ancestors.
The skull pit features dragon skulls ranging in scale from the size of an apple to that of a small helicopter.
You get to admire up close the skill and artistry of the craftsmen and women who brought the fantasy world of author George R.R. Martin so vividly to life.
It is genuinely impressive, to the extent that you have to remind yourself that these are stage props and not the genuine artefacts of a lost civilisation.
There are plenty of interactive photo opportunities and surprises along the way, from posing with swords from the series to taking your own seat on the Iron Throne (yes, I’m afraid I did). And the inevitable gift shop at the end of the tour gives access to a unique if rather pricey collection of souvenirs for your envious GoT addict pals back home.
The TEC is found in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, and sits in the footprint of the Titanic Studios, where much of the studio filming for the eight GoT series took place.
The area was originally part of the Harland and Wolff Shipyard where the Titanic and many other great ocean liners were designed and built.
Today the shipyard specialises in building turbines for the burgeoning offshore wind industry, its giant gantry cranes, Samson and Goliath, creating a distinctive landmark that you can easily spot from the air as you fly into the city’s two airports.
But the quarter has also become a mecca for tourists, thanks to the £101m Titanic Belfast, a remarkable six-floor, nine-gallery museum on the site where the doomed liner was built. Opened in 2012 to mark the 100th anniversary of the ship’s tragic loss, it was voted the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction in 2016.
The building is designed in the shape of four, 90-foot hulls – the size of the Titanic herself – and can house 3,547 visitors at any one time – the same number as the capacity of the ship.
You can lose yourself for hours in this museum, which includes an immersive and awe-inspiring 3D filmed reconstruction of the Titanic from the engine room, through the public rooms to the bridge.
Equally stunning is the panoramic eagle’s eye view through giant windows down the actual slipways on which the Titanic launched into the River Lagan in 1911.
Everything you could wish to know about the design and building of the ship, life aboard, the disaster and its aftermath is here, brought to life using the latest technologies to hugely impressive effect.
You could comfortably and enjoyably lose a whole day exploring the Titanic Quarter. We managed to take in the Titanic Exhibition and the Game of Thrones Experience and still find time for a delightful round of golf at nearby Belvoir Park Golf Club.
Established in 1927 in 163 acres of mature woodland, this parkland course is just two miles from Belfast city centre but as you play it you could be in the heart of the Irish countryside.
This beautifully manicured,
challenging but engaging championship golf course has played host to The Irish Open and was designed by famed course architect Harry S. Colt, two years before he laid the plans for the Dunluce links at Royal Portrush.
We were lucky enough to also play Portrush, with the stands already taking shape for The Open on July 18 to 21. We got to sample the new sixth and seventh holes created by golf architect Martin Ebert to replace the old 17th and 18th, increasing the overall length of the course by almost 200 yards.
Colt’s signature White Rock hole is a classic risk and reward masterpiece par four with a superb scenic view, leading you down towards the cliffs and beaches of the dramatic Dunluce coast.
The par three 16th hole, aptly named Calamity, should be something to behold this summer, particularly if the wind blows as it normally does in this rugged natural wonderland. You need total precision to carry an enormous ravine to reach the green without your ball dropping 50 feet below the hole, probably never to be seen again. Two of my golf balls lie forever buried there.
Such has been the demand for tickets that the four days of the tournament have been a 200,000-plus sell out for months now, and of course getting to play the course as a visitor this summer will be next to impossible.
But the good news is that Royal Portrush is just one of a collection of magnificent golf links along The Causeway coast.
We also played The Strand course at nearby Portstewart, which hosted the 2017 Irish Open, and is another absolute gem every bit as challenging and beautiful as its illustrious neighbour.
Standing on the elevated first tee, your breath is taken away first by the stunning vistas, and then by the awful realisation that you have to try to steer a golf ball onto the tiny sliver of fairway that can just about be made out through the mountainous dunes.
Every shot on this course tests the skill and imagination, and playing it is a brilliant experience for any level of golfer, with sumptuous views everywhere. The front nine in particular is one of the prettiest and most demanding I have ever encountered.
In a golfing endurance equivalent of the battle for Winterfell in ‘The Long Night’ episode of GoT, we also played 18 holes on the championship parkland course of Galgorm Castle that same day.
Encirled by the River Maine, and with trees and hidden water hazards, the home of the Northern Ireland Open is a tough, uncompromising course, and managed to swallow up more of my errant golf balls than the other three rounds put together.
Following our 36-hole golf-fest day, we stayed at the Bushmills Inn in Bushmills, a stone’s throw from Dunluce, with its historic castle ruin which served as a GoT location, and sits just across the bay from Royal Portrush.
It is a truly charming inn with an intimate, cosy vibe that belies its size, and offered delicious food and a warm welcome to our exhausted little group of golfing warriors.
I slept so deeply that night that I doubt even the arrival of the Army of the Dead at my bedroom door would have stirred me.