31-40

	31 – Royal Dublin A slight fall in our list, but it’s still a classy layout. This Harry Colt design among the dunes of Bull Island is a traditional out-and-back links which was updated by Martin Hawtree.
	32 – Kilarney (Kileen) The Killarney club offers 54 holes and the Killeen is the pick of them. It has proved a popular venue for Irish Opens both back in the 1990s (when Sir Nick Faldo won twice) and in more recent times. Well over 7,000 yards, it might be pretty but it’s a proper championship course.
	33 – Ceann Sibeal Eddie Hackett is the man behind a lot of fine courses in Ireland and this is one Kerry course which is yet to be discovered by as many as it should.
	34 – Connemara When you arrive at this course nestled between the 12 Bens mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean you wonder why you haven’t heard more about it. The front nine is good, the back nine even better.
	35 – Druid’s Heath It is quite hard work to make a score here – at nearly 7,500 yards off the tips – and perhaps for some of the panel that edged it outside their top 30.
	36 – Ardglass Like near neighbour Royal County Down, you also drink in terrific views of the coastline as well as the Mourne Mountains providing a haunting background. The start, along the cliffs, is wonderful and the pace is maintained impressively throughout.
	37 – Portsalon Paul McGinley is refining this 1891 links, he said: “I want to make the course more ‘visible’ with each shot properly ‘framed’. And make it even more player friendly for both members and visitors… but I don’t intend to make the golf course ‘easy’.”
	38 – Ballyliffin (Old) Despite its name, this course only dates back to 1947 when it was originally designed by committee members. It is not the older but sweeter sister to the mammoth Glashedy either – this is a serious 6,900-yard examination.
	39 – Headfort (New) Christy O’Connor Jnr was invited to create a course good enough to test the best alongside the River Blackwater and between mature trees. With lots of sand and lots of yards, Christy performed his task and some panellists really love it.
	40 – Narin and Portnoo Narin and Portnoo is a rugged links carved out of the dunes next to the Atlantic on the north-west coast, which has recently been updated with a new par and yardage.