{"id":50607,"date":"2026-08-15T00:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T00:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/50607\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T00:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T00:49:14","slug":"no-weddings-but-we-will-have-funerals-how-adare-village-is-preparing-for-ryder-cup-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/50607\/","title":{"rendered":"‘No weddings, but we will have funerals’: How Adare village is preparing for Ryder Cup 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a sunny midweek morning in Adare, the village is waking up. Early arrivals are getting their coffees at the Heritage Centre, but the car park has yet to clog with coaches. Hit the streets at the right time and you\u2019ll find a sweet spot between rush-hour tailbacks and the tourist trail buses that trundle through as they make Adare a pit stop en route from Killarney to the Cliffs of Moher.<\/p>\n

In just a few hours, innumerable cameras will be brandished, as the pretty thatched cottages that line one side of the road provide the perfect backdrop for selfies.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s something else in the air right now, as we are just over a year away from the Ryder Cup. In September 2027, golf\u2019s most enormous extravaganza will descend on Adare Manor, bringing a crowd estimated at up to 250,000 to the picturesque Co Limerick spot: Population just 1,129. The hotel itself drips with luxury behind high walls, with access for residents only. This access will, of course, be extended to ticket holders, when the course itself will be testing the mettle of the US and Europe\u2019s teams of golfers.<\/p>\n

Richard Atkinson, the European Tour Group\u2019s chief Ryder Cup officer, has confirmed that the site will host more than 20,000 grandstand seats, big screens, and an entertainment programme.<\/p>\n

The purpose-built course-side spectator village, The Green, is billed online as \u201can explorable Irish experience\u201d, and will include food and drink outlets.<\/p>\n

But down in Adare village itself, what is the word on the streets?<\/p>\n

The first thing you notice are the roadworks. As much as for its scenic beauty, Adare has also been known for its traffic jams, but soon that will be a thing of the past. While many of Ireland\u2019s towns and villages wait and hope for a bypass, Adare\u2019s is currently on schedule to open in June 2027. Meanwhile, works are in train to widen and improve footpaths, include more pedestrian crossings, put in new street lighting, and add landscaping and new street furniture. Speaking of \u201cin train\u201d, there will also be a temporary train station, on the reinstated Limerick to Foynes Freight Line.<\/p>\n

Currently the sound of diggers is most evident outside Andrew Timoney\u2019s Dra\u00edocht Gallery ( draiochtadare.ie<\/a>). Since opening in 2010, Timoney specialises in the work of Irish artists and makers, including ceramists Mandy Cheng and Eibhl\u00edn Dunne, and artists Ann Stewart, Louise Barrett, and Ivan Daly. Spot something you like here, and Timoney is bound to have a story about the artist, plus you get the impression that he really wants things to go to good homes. Before the golf tournament announcement, back in 2019, he says that, \u201cpeople would always ask two questions: is there free parking, and when will this place be bypassed?\u201d Now, he says, they\u2019re also asking about the Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n

\"AndrewAndrew Timmony of Dra\u00edocht Art Gallery in the village of Adare, Co Limerick, Ireland.<\/p>\n

This won\u2019t be Adare\u2019s first taste of flocks of golfers, the Manor having hosted the Irish Open in 2007 and 2008 and, throughout the years, the JP McManus charity Invitational Pro Am, which, Timoney says, \u201cbrought a lot of people who weren\u2019t only overly interested in golf. They wanted to see Bill Murray, kiss Jamie Dornan. Emily Hatton spent the entire day here with me, that\u2019s Tyrrell Hatton\u2019s wife,\u201d he continues, recalling the 2022 edition of the tournament. Unconvinced as to whether the Ryder Cup will bring a similarly mixed audience in, and consequently give local traders a boost, his hope is that, once the bypass is complete, people will still see the Adare sign, turn off, and come in to enjoy the village \u2014 and maybe leave with some lovely art too.<\/p>\n

The Pro Am also brought business, and an exciting life opportunity to Aisling Maher, owner of the Aisling Maher boutique on Adare\u2019s Main Street (aislingmaher.com<\/a>). Having graduated as an architect during the last recession in 2010, she quickly decided on a change of trade, and began to make hats and headpieces.<\/p>\n

\"Milliner,Milliner, designer and boutique owner Aisling Maher at her store in the village of Adare, Co Limerick, Ireland. Picture: Larry Cummins<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were stocking them at the Adare Manor boutique when Catherine Zeta-Jones came in and bought one. She wore it to the gala dinner. That,\u201d she says, with a smile, \u201ccatapulted me into the fashion industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maher, who opened her shop in 2013, anticipates that the Ryder Cup will be like the other major tournaments hosted at the Manor, \u201cour local trade does get affected, as it\u2019s too hard for people to get into the village, but we\u2019re hoping that there will be a different sort of trade around. People will be coming by train and walking up through the village, and there\u2019s campsites and glamping spots, so there will be an awful lot of people.\u201d With a workspace in the back of the boutique, all Maher\u2019s headpieces and hats are handmade, and she also makes custom pieces to commission, for sale alongside a standout array of women\u2019s\u2019 wear and accessories. On the Business Liaison panel for the 2027 Ryder Cup, Maher is unsurprisingly excited about the possibilities it brings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a positive thing,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s still a lot of nervousness with the retailers and traders, about what the day-to-day events will be like. But we have to look at it from the overall picture: Every day, we\u2019re already having people coming from the United States, from Europe and the UK, because they\u2019ve heard of Adare, because of the Ryder Cup.\u201d Maher is also appreciative of the allocation to locals, who (within a specific catchment area) have been gifted tournament tickets. \u201cIt\u2019s something they\u2019ve never done before, and it was extremely generous.\u201d So will she be going? \u201cDefinitely,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

Spend time in Adare, and you quickly realise there\u2019s a lot more going on than mere golf- anticipation.<\/p>\n

Lynda O\u2019Mahony is parish secretary.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere won\u2019t be weddings during the Ryder Cup,\u201d she says. \u201cAll the hotels, guest houses, beds in the sheds, all the B&Bs, they\u2019ll all be booked up. Limerick, Cork city too, probably as far as Dublin. They\u2019ll park and ride, take the train, or helicopter, if you\u2019re rich. So no weddings, but we will have funerals. You can die,\u201d she says smiling, \u201cif the occasion arises.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plenty of local people, she says, are thinking of renting their houses. \u201cPeople are excited, but also daunted. Logistically it\u2019s a lot of people coming in, but now is the opportunity to reap the rewards […] Yes, it\u2019s an opportunity to make a few extra bucks, maybe go on holiday, but it\u2019s also an opportunity to give someone somewhere to stay for a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside the ticket allocation, home rentals are a topic of conversation in the town, but from O\u2019Mahony\u2019s point of view, the real benefit will be in the legacy: The bypass, the footpaths, the seating, and street lighting. \u201cIt\u2019s for now, <\/p>\n

and for the future, not just that week in September.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a little early when I walked by lovely Caf\u00e9 L\u00f3gr at the top of the town, but now, catching a quiet moment, I stop for coffee at the Adare Grocer. A relatively new business, the Grocer was opened in July 2025 by husband and wife team Mark Lynch and Anna Coffey. Anna originally worked as a pastry chef at Adare Manor, while Mark\u2019s background is in restaurant operations, having worked with Dillinger\u2019s, Green Nineteen, and Taco Taco in Dublin \u2014 experiences that make the pair naturals for their own charming bakery, deli, wine and coffee shop.<\/p>\n

\"VillageVillage grocers Mark Lynch and Anna Coffey-Lynch at their Adare Grocer premises in the village of Adare, Co Limerick, Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re much more part of the community here,\u201d Coffey says, musing on the difference between living in Dublin and Adare. \u201cWe get a huge amount of tourists, but also locals who come in every day,\u201d she adds, pointing out the shelf where regulars keep their own cups and mugs.<\/p>\n

The coffee is, indeed, excellent, as is the miso infused caramel cookie, which I try out of pure curiosity but finish because it\u2019s so delicious. \u201cWe have people who\u2019ve lived here for generations, and people who have moved for work, because of places like the Manor. So you never feel like an outsider.\u201d<\/p>\n

Between the Tidy Towns and the business owners, there\u2019s a great deal of local pride, and Lynch says the mood is overwhelmingly positive about the Ryder Cup. \u201cWe\u2019re getting the bypass, new trees, widening the paths. We\u2019re very, very lucky as a village,\u201d he says. \u201cI think we\u2019ll do great.\u201d <\/p>\n

Just across the way, the Arches Restaurant is setting up for lunch. \u201cI grew up here,\u201d says John O\u2019Connell. \u201cMy parents opened the restaurant 35 years ago. Going back, there\u2019s a lot more traffic now, but we might go back, with the bypass, to the quieter way it was. You have to go with the changes,\u201d he continues, adding that even now his international visitors are talking about \u201chaving to come back next year\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"JohnJohn O’Connell at The Arches Restaurant in the village of Adare, Co Limerick. Picture: Larry Cummins<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people would mention the Ryder Cup. How many little villages in Ireland, or the world, would not love to have the Ryder Cup,\u201d O\u2019Connell says.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connell\u2019s daughter will be making the most of the pair of tickets gifted by the organisation. \u201cI\u2019ll be working here, and she\u2019ll be enjoying the whole thing,\u201d he says wryly.<\/p>\n

Aoife McNamara ( aoifemacnamara.com<\/a>) is selling her own contemporary-yet-classic designs, made with Irish fabrics, in her signature cottage boutique.<\/p>\n

\" Aoife McNamara pictured at Aoifes Cottage, in Adare, Limerick. Picture: Brian Arthur<\/p>\n

The Ryder Cup has given her business a definite lift, and with Adare\u2019s international profile it has given her the boost she needed to ramp up \u2014 to the point that she is now preparing to bring her designs to New York Fashion Week in September. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge opportunity for us to focus on the US market. That\u2019s a really exciting part of the year-long journey of preparing for the Ryder Cup,\u201d she says. The proximity of Adare Manor is also excellent for business, recalling JP McMahon gifting vouchers for local shops to Pro Am participants, ensuring both goodwill and sales.<\/p>\n

McNamara is now taking the Ryder Cup into account as she designs her next collections. \u201cWe\u2019re really focusing on our Irish wools, and the beautiful textiles we have. And we\u2019re looking at blazers, the jumpers, and the \u2018Paddy Caps\u2019 that the women might wear. It was probably last summer that I first heard visitors coming in talking about the Ryder Cup. I think it brings a certain type of person that really suits my brand. It is very exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\" Aoife’s Cottage, Adare, Co Limerick offering clothing by Irish designer Aoife McNamara. Clothes inspired by nature. Picture: Larry Cummins<\/p>\n

A sign outside Aunty Lena\u2019s Bar, further reads \u201cLast Watering Hole Until Dublin\u201d, which may indeed have been true, once upon a time. History is still alive upstairs, where a small local museum tells colourful tales of the former lords of the manor, the Earls of Dunraven, who numbered archaeologists and adventurers in their ranks. I settle down in a side snug, which bar manager Rod Brosnahan tells me was originally a holding cell. \u201cEveryone who comes for the Ryder Cup, I hope they\u2019ll have a great time and enjoy the experience, because the people around are putting their heart and soul into it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"RodRod Brosnahan, manager at Aunty Lena’s \/ Charlie Chawke Bar in the village of Adare, Co Limerick. Picture: Larry Cummins<\/p>\n

Brosnahan describes advising visitors on their tours of Ireland on places to visit, from beauty spots to bars. The name recognition from the Ryder Cup, he says, is adding Adare to the likes of Killarney, Kenmare, Dingle, Galway City, and the Aran Islands. \u201cTourism has changed,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople want to feel part of something now.\u201d And as to the Ryder Cup itself? \u201cPeople don\u2019t know what to expect,\u201d he says, agreeing that it has been so long in coming, it is almost like a really, really far away Christmas that is, nonetheless, getting closer at last.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut people will come, and some will come into the village, and most will go away to their hotels, their B&Bs; their busses and coaches will take them away. The outcome I most wish for? That it doesn\u2019t rain.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a sunny midweek morning in Adare, the village is waking up. Early arrivals are getting their coffees…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50608,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[19607,552],"class_list":["post-50607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ryder-cup","tag-insight","tag-ryder-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}