We left early for Tullamore, to go to the Tullamore Dew distilerry. It’s a huge complex, but we only went into the merchandise shop. There were the expected bottle of whiskey, clothing, and whiskey accessories. We purchased some gifts for a couple friends, then headed out to Esker Hills Golf Club, the home course for the Republic’s national treasure, Shane Lowry. The course and pro shop were a lot more down to earth than I was expecting, and very friendly
We then travelled through other areas near there, like Clara, which was a fine little town. We headed to Tullamore proper for lunch. We dined at the Old Warehouse, which is owned by Shane Lowry. The photos do not do this place justice. It used to be the distribution warehouse for the whiskey back from 1829. Before we were served lunch, we chatted with the facility manager, and he took us on a special tour. It included a private room upstairs where Lowry has his clubs from when he won the Open Championship in 2019, golf bags from significant tournaments (Ryder Cup and the like), 18th hole flags from tournament wins, and a lot of other memorabilia. It was a really special place. Then we all went for a walk in downtown Tullamore. It’s a great town. Don’t tell anyone, but we even stopped at a bookies to place some wagers on the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
We dropped Lisa off to relax, and Michale and I picked up some young family at the local gaelscoil, and took them to a golf driving range for the first time. The place was great, and had Trackman launch monitors in every booth, which was great. They set up a childs game on the monitor, and the kids had a blast. They went from not hitting the ball beyond the golf mat, to hitting it out to about 45 yards. I spent some time hitting, and it felt good. I hit some of the best 7 irons of my life, while the great driver shots were still a bit out of my grasp. I really need to sort that out. More to follow, with photos.
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