![\"Bill](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/5258659_5_articleinlinemobile_01M4QBFNVC260GM91RXEWJ5TK7_1_.jpg\" "\\"Bill")
Bill Murray and Joanne McNally inn a scene from A Course Called Ireland.\u00a0<\/p>\nExpect golf, Guinness and unexpected adventures when Bill Murray swaps the bright lights of Hollywood for the rolling green fairways as he embarks on an Irish road trip with a difference in the upcoming travel documentary, A Course Called Ireland.\n <\/p>\n
Although Murray, 76, is best known for films such as Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day and Lost In Translation, away from the screen the acting giant is an avid golfer. He also has Irish ancestry, so there is a personal connection as he tours the island with his long-time friend, fellow golfing enthusiast and author Tom Coyne. The trip is actually inspired by Coyne\u2019s bestselling book of the same name.<\/p>\n
During the six-part series, Murray\u2019s travels take him from Co Cork and Clare to Donegal and the Giant\u2019s Causeway as he tees off on some of Ireland\u2019s most striking golf courses. But while the golf provides the excuse for the adventure, the series is as much about what happens away from the green as he reflects on his life and delves into his Irish heritage.<\/p>\n
Along the way, he is joined by his brothers, Joel and John, as well as celebrity friends, including the actor Chris O\u2019Dowd, comedian Joanne McNally and American footballer Jason Kelce. Immersing themselves in Irish life, there are chance encounters with locals, and warm conversations over a pint as Murray explores the people, places and stories of Ireland.<\/p>\n
Bill Murray and Joanne McNally inn a scene from A Course Called Ireland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Warm, funny and delightfully unpredictable, the series is as much a celebration of friendship and the pleasures of taking the scenic route as it is a golfing adventure with Ireland\u2019s scenery providing a spectacular backdrop.<\/p>\n
Here, Murray reveals more about the adventure, his love of golf and why Ireland holds such a special place in his heart.<\/p>\n
\n Murray: I read Tom\u2019s book and I gave a comment, which was glowingly positive. It was. I really thought it was a wonderful book, pretty much because the author and myself agreed on what the best places to play in Ireland were. We agreed on the courses. And I thought, wow, this guy\u2019s really smart, really brilliant. He\u2019s almost as smart as I am. So that\u2019s how that came about.<\/p>\n
And then the BBC expressed an interest in doing a show about the book. I don\u2019t know why they asked me, but just because of my varied, chequered career in show business, would I be something like an executive producer. To me, that means you get paid, you do nothing. That sounded easy. Didn\u2019t quite work out that way. But anyway, people who see this show like it very much. So, hopefully I will get more credit than Tom or the BBC.<\/p>\n
![\"Bill](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/5258578_9_articleinlinemobile_01M4QBFKB6WXK3DGG1WBPA0BXC_1_.jpg\" "\\"Bill")
Bill Murray with his friend Tom Coyne, the author whose book inspired the new series.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Well, it sounded like it was going to be a piece of cake. We\u2019d have to go over to Ireland, talk to bartenders, play beautiful golf courses, eat beautiful food, and roll around through a beautiful country. It sounded like a beautiful, beautiful idea. It was the beauty. I\u2019m a sucker for beauty. That\u2019s all.<\/p>\n
No, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s easy to make real friends. I meet a lot of people and I bring a lot of baggage. It is hard for other people to forget the baggage I\u2019m bringing. It\u2019s like, \u2018God, do you remember that movie?\u2019 You know, whatever. Also, my life\u2019s always in motion, so I don\u2019t get to spend a lot of time in the crucible with people. We [Tom and I] actually became better friends driving in Ireland because driving in Ireland requires a certain amount of attention.<\/p>\n
I try to explain to people, when people look at you like if they don\u2019t know anything about golf they go, \u2018You golf?\u2019 Like I\u2019m some sort of a guy wearing white shoes and white socks and white pants and white clothes. But I grew up as a caddy, and I got to love the game as a caddy. And now I\u2019m a member, which is kind of a ridiculous thing. The funny thing is caddies know I was a caddy and they abuse me like they would a fellow caddy. They do not treat me like a member. They give me all the grief they would give somebody at the caddy shack because they know my upbringing. But the game is great. At its highest explanation, it\u2019s a mind-body attention exercise.<\/p>\n
I used to think the Tralee course was the prettiest place, but then those ones up in the north, those get real good and crazy. But it\u2019s like, why would I tell you my favourite restaurant? Then I can\u2019t get a reservation. I must say that Old Head [near Kinsale], people blab about it all the time, about how beautiful it is. They always go, \u2018It\u2019s like the Irish Pebble Beach.\u2019 I go, ‘Yeah? maybe not’. I have got a soft spot for Pebble Beach. But then when we went, we could only see the course for about 45 minutes or an hour before it was enveloped in fog and yet I can tell you that visually and in terms of spectacle, it is not overrated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n What does Ireland mean to you and did that change during the show?\n <\/p>\n
It only got richer for me because I went to more places than I\u2019d ever been. And it\u2019s just the richest, most beautiful place. I mean, my ancestors are there, my DNA is from there so when I get there, I feel really grounded. First time I went, I said, \u2018My God, this is like I\u2019m at a wake. I know everybody.\u2019 Everybody sort of looks like me or looks like a cousin or something like that. It\u2019s just there\u2019s a certain kind of a way that Irish people look and they carry themselves. There\u2019s a sort of a self-deprecating attitude to it.<\/p>\n
A Course Called Ireland launches on BBC iPlayer and BBC One NI on Friday, October 23; and BBC Two on Sunday, October 25 at 9.30pm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Expect golf, Guinness and unexpected adventures when Bill Murray swaps the bright lights of Hollywood for the rolling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":654296,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,6405,43],"class_list":["post-654295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-music-movies-reviews-munster","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/654296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}