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Ballygarry first hotel to be accredited with COVID-19 Safety Charter for Hospitality
ACCREDITATION: Staff at Ballygarry House, the first hotel to be accredited with COVID-19 Safety Charter for Hospitality, pictured as they returned to work last week.
After a 15-week rest, Ballygarry House returns to a new dawn after becoming the first hotel in Ireland to be accredited with the Fáilte Ireland COVID-19 Safety Charter for Hospitality.
The COVID-19 Safety Charter is a Government-endorsed initiative that ensures tourism and hospitality businesses are well-able to adhere to the specific guidelines outlined for reopening.
Bringing 135 staff back to work, Padraig McGillicuddy, Hotel Proprietor, is delighted to reopen Ballygarry House’s doors to guests and welcome them to the establishment that has been 62 years in the McGillicuddy family.
“This year is the year of the Irish, all business will be home grown and it’s going to be largely based on a quality product with value for money,” Padraig said.
“We got plenty of work done on creating a message to satisfy consumer confidence through social media videos. We launched a fun reopening video and we have had over 100,000 views which is a remarkable result. We also launched a video endorsing the measures we are taking to reassure the guests and instil consumer confidence in our COVID practices. Simple things like replacing the traditional Irish handshake with our ‘hand on our heart’ gesture, a symbol of our love of all things hospitality.”
He explained that this will be an exceptional year where the business will do well to breakeven, but the priority has been to keep their team together, trade out of it and look forward to a really prosperous year in 2021.
“The cost of the pandemic in lost revenue to the hotel is €4,000,000 some of which can be recovered but it will be a challenge. Thankfully we entered this shutdown in a very strong position so we’ll rise stronger than ever from it.”
With Kerry Tourism generating over €420 million for Kerry which is the main form of employment in the county, Padraig is keen to get Ballygarry back to previous trading levels. However, he stressed the necessity and importance of the lockdown and how it helped slow down the speed of the virus in and around Kerry and Ireland. Ballygarry itself has retrained all staff, re-written its hotel policies and standard operating procedures in line with and beyond Government guidelines so they can assure their guests and staff that safety is the number one priority.
Top golf scores at Mahony’s Point
Ivan Tagney and Aoife Twomey secured top honours at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club as members turned out in large numbers to compete for Captain Tomás Kelliher’s Prize on Mahony’s Point.
In the men’s event, Ivan Tagney claimed the Captain’s Prize with an impressive 42 points. Conor Dillon carded 48 points, returning the lowest score of the weekend, though he was ineligible for the main trophy without an established handicap.
Despite wet weather, the ladies section produced remarkable scoring on Sunday. Aoife Twomey took first place playing off 28 handicap, recording a nett 63. June O’Brien finished runner-up with a 67 nett, followed by Kay O’Connor in third with a 69 nett.
Captain Tomás Kelliher extended his thanks to the committee, staff, and volunteers for organising the flagship competition, praising the course condition and strong turnout across both events.
Results
Men’s Captain’s Prize 1st: Ivan Tagney (42 pts) Best Score: Conor Dillon (48 pts) 3rd: Joseph Sheahan (41 pts) 4th: Michael Cotter (41 pts) 5th: Emmet Scanlon (41 pts) 6th: Ian Sherlock (41 pts) 7th: Cathal O’Connor (40 pts) 8th: Aaron McCann (40 pts) 9th: Dan Quirke (40 pts) 10th: Mark Tuite (40 pts) 11th: Alan O’Meara (40 pts) 12th: Donal Begley (40 pts) Best Gross: Donal Considine (72) Category 1: 1st Kevin Leacy (39 pts), 2nd Ian Cronin (39 pts) Category 2: 1st Adam Carey (40 pts), 2nd Jack Crehan (40 pts) Category 3: 1st John McEnery (40 pts), 2nd Thomas Coleman (39 pts) Category 4: 1st Mike Dreelan (38 pts), 2nd Jason Reen (38 pts) Front Nine: Aaron Coffey (24 pts) Back Nine: Chris Myers (24 pts) Past Captain: Pat Cussen (38 pts) Over 70: Joe Geaney (39 pts) Committee Prize: Shane Horgan (38 pts) Guest Prize: Jack Kelliher
Ladies Captain’s Prize 1st: Aoife Twomey – 63 (28) 2nd: June O’Brien – 67 (20) 3rd: Kay O’Connor – 69 (13) 4th: Louise Langan – 70 (19) 5th: Mary Tobin – 71 (20) 6th: Geraldine Tarrant – 71 (26) 7th: Kathleen O’Keefe – 71 (19) 8th: Noreen O’Callaghan – 72 (18) 9th: Anne Moynihan – 72 (2) 10th: Breda Duggan – 72 (29) Best Gross: Kelly O’Donoghue (76) Front Nine: Kate O’Leary Back Nine: Sarah O’Brien 13-Hole Competition: Maud Malone – 24 pts (28)
‘Natural Kerry’ opens at Killarney House
Tralee Art Group’s ‘Natural Kerry’ exhibition officially opened at Killarney House and Gardens on Saturday, August 8, celebrating the landscapes, people, and culture of the Kingdom.
Opening remarks were given by TAG Chairperson Caitríona Foley, who welcomed artists, family, and friends before introducing special guest Michael Gleeson, former Mayor of Killarney and current Chairperson of Killarney Tidy Towns.
Addressing attendees, Michael spoke on the unique gift artists possess in capturing and sharing the beauty of Kerry through their work, offering a thoughtful reflection on the inspiration behind the collection.
The well-attended launch drew a large crowd to view the artwork, meet the artists, and enjoy the surroundings of Killarney House. Tralee Art Group extended its thanks to the staff at Killarney House and Gardens for hosting the event.
‘Natural Kerry’ runs until August 27. Many of the featured artworks are available for purchase, with enquiries available online at www.traleeartgroup.ie.
Top golf scores at Mahony’s Point
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