Concra Wood Golf & Country Club

Concra Wood Golf and Country Club occupies 240 acres of dramatic, wooded landscape that tilts gracefully down to the shores of Lough Muckno in County Monaghan, framed by views stretching across the Monaghan Drumlins to the Cooley and Mourne Mountains to the east, and Slieve Gullion and Mullyash to the north. Designed by the Christy O'Connor father-and-son partnership and opened in July 2008, the course has already hosted three PGA EuroPro Tour events and a European Challenge Tour event won by Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson. Golf Digest Ireland ranks it within Ireland's top 34 courses and ninth best parkland course overall; the Rolex Guide to the World's 1,000 Best Courses awarded it 85 out of 100; and Destination Golf has designated it a Platinum Award course for four consecutive years. The estate itself holds extraordinary historical resonance — ruins of a folly castle built by Lord Blayney, a temple ruin once used as a picnic retreat, and the famous Belfast Steps all feature within the grounds. The drumlins, the lake and its scattering of islands, and the surrounding native woodland combine to create a setting of exceptional natural and cultural richness that lingers in the memory long after the round is complete.