Question: has the open ever been played in ireland

Answer: Yes, The Old Course at St Andrews has hosted the most championships with 29 in total, most recently with the 2015 Open Championship. The championship has only been held outside Scotland and England once, in 1951 when Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland was the venue. Turnberry became the most recent course to have hosted the Championship for the first time, when it held the 1977 Open Championship.