Portrush and the Giant's Causeway .. work and play

The Ruins of Dunluce Castle at sunset

I love going somewhere new, and Northern Ireland is relatively new to me. I have been to Belfast before but didn't see much of it as I had gone there for a flying visit on a job. Years ago I crossed the border from the South to Enniskillen but that's as far as my travels in this part of the island of Ireland had gone.

This year in my role as a make up artist, my colleagues and I were tasked with looking after the on-air talent for The Open championship at Royal Portrush for the Sky Sports Golf channel.

Portrush Harbour

We flew into Belfast airport and drove the hour or so to Portrush in County Antrim. It is a beautiful part of the country with loads to see along the way, so we were fortunate enough to find a little free time to see some of it during our visit. We stayed right in Portrush town about 10 minutes walk from the golf course, which meant we were able to walk to the harbour area for a meal or a drink after work. 

The weather was changeable over the few days of the preview shows and championship days and of course we had to be prepared for anything! We had an Open Zone which was under cover but out on the course there was none so wet gear for the crew and umbrellas for the presenters were essential. We were warned in advance about summer in Northern Ireland!

Before our real work began on the tournament, we decided we absolutely had to visit the Giant's Causeway so we went directly after work one evening. 

We were lucky as we made it before the rains were due. Being high summer the light lasted way past 10pm at night. It was about a 20 minute drive from Portrush to Bushmills and we were able to park in the car park at the Causeway Hotel which is right next to the Visitors Centre. It had closed for the day but it was still possible to walk the half a mile or so to the ancient basalt columns by the sea. There were a few people there but not enough to spoil the many photo opportunities we had to capture the stunning natural beauty of this area.

Back to work the next day and we battled with the elements ranging from brilliant sunshine to wind and driving rain. I had some gorgeous men's grooming products to try and had great success with them.

Preview show

Murdock London

All the men's hair needed to look good for the outdoors without looking overly styled and Murdock London Sea Salt Spray worked wonders on our male guests who needed a little help controlling their hair. The Sea Salt Spray adds volume and texture and gives a slightly matt appearance which is just right for live TV on location. Used on damp hair I blowdried it off into the intended style and finished it off with Texture Paste using my fingers. Perfect for Nick Dougherty's short hair and Paul McGinley's quiff which seemed to grow in height as the week went on!

Another great addition to my make up kit was Balmkind Alpine Rose & Lysine lip balm with SPF 20. When you're stuck outdoors as we were, this was perfect for keeping lips hydrated and protected from the sun and wind.

Storm clouds approaching

Despite the changeable conditions, it was a lot of fun being ferried around on golf buggies to various locations around the course. Extra layers of clothing were on standby and my trusty Rain's Long Jacket and Backpack mini were perfect companions to my wet weather kit. How to stay dry and look relatively stylish whilst feeling like a drowned rat.

The winner Shane Lowry

The final day was most certainly the worst of the weather, with the howling wind and at times horizontal rain, so it was wonderful to see an Irishman, Shane Lowry beat Tommy Fleetwood to win the claret jug amidst a jubilantly raucous home crowd.


The 149th Open 2020 will be held at Royal St. Georges in Kent, England.