Connect with us

News

Fáilte Ireland awards Gala Dinner Venue funding to Killarney distillery to attract international Business Events

Published

on

0281865_exterior.jpg

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD and Fáilte Ireland have announced that Killarney Brewing & Distilling Visitors Experience is among the five venues awarded a total of €1 million through the Platforms for Growth Gala Dinner Venues Investment Scheme.

.

.

The investment has been allocated to five projects to facilitate the development of gala dinner venues of scale in four of Ireland’s business events hubs - Dublin, Kerry, the Shannon Region and Galway.

This investment will go towards the development and enhancement of the venues, to enable them to compete to win international business events for Ireland. It is estimated that €67 million worth of incremental business events could be delivered for the country over a 5-year period on the back of this investment.

Nestled on the shores of The Lakes of Killarney and surrounded by the National Park, Killarney Brewing & Distilling Co. is located on the picturesque Ring of Kerry with captivating panoramic views of the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks. It offers a full suite of versatile event spaces including modern gala dining for up to 250.

Gala dinners are a key component of international conferences, incentive trips, and large corporate meetings and Ireland’s current gala dinner venue offering is not sufficient to deal with demand. The Gala Dinner Venues Investment Scheme was established to accommodate demand in the market, and to ensure the sustainable growth of business events revenue, which is central to Fáilte Ireland’s sustainable tourism agenda.

FIVE VENUES NATIONWIDE

The venues receiving capital investment funding from Fáilte Ireland under the Gala Dinner Venues Investment Scheme are:

Killarney Brewing & Distilling Visitors Experience Limited, Kerry
Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick
Claregalway Castle, Galway
Custom House Quarter Ltd., Dublin
St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Galway

Today’s announcement is the culmination of a competitive application process which began in 2022. The projects receiving investment were strategically selected under strict eligibility criteria, including an ability to deliver not only on capacity (350 diners for Dublin venues and 250 diners for venues in regional Ireland) but also on accessibility, in terms of their proximity to one of Ireland’s business events hubs.

The venues were also required to deliver on the ‘wow’ factor, which means they had to offer an exceptional venue, in a spectacular location, which would instantly appeal to an international audience. The selected venues will be required to adhere to and promote sustainability best practice in the operation of the venue and should support the business events industry to deliver events complying with best practice environmental sustainability measures.

Minister Catherine Martin said: “The business events industry is a key component of Ireland’s tourism offering and driver of economic benefit for Ireland, with an estimated contribution of almost €800 million to our economy and supporting 20,000 jobs. Today’s investment announcement will ensure world-class venues are developed that will attract international business events to our key business events hubs. This is critical to strengthening Ireland’s reputation internationally as a leading business events destination and will have far reaching impact on Ireland’s tourism sector and the wider Irish economy.”

Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland added: “Business event delegates inject approximately three times more revenue into local economies than leisure travellers. Business events also benefit the wider tourism ecosystem by driving high-yield business often during mid-week and off-season periods, complementing leisure tourism patterns. The overall objective of this focused capital investment scheme is to facilitate the development of ‘wow’ gala dinner venues of scale in Ireland’s premier business events hubs. We were encouraged to see the calibre of applicants and we are pleased that the five awarded projects will add truly best-in-class venues to the Irish venue portfolio.”

Killarney Brewing & Distilling Co

Managing Director of Killarney Brewing & Distilling Co. Barry Spellman said: “We are delighted to receive this investment and vote of confidence from Fáilte Ireland. It will significantly enhance Killarney Brewing & Distilling's capacity to attract and host international business events. This development showcases our venue's unique 5-star 'wow' factor and Killarney’s breathtaking landscape. We thank Fáilte Ireland and Minister Catherine Martin for supporting our vision to deliver world-class gala dinner experiences."
The Gala Dinner Venues Investment Scheme is a part of Fáilte Ireland’s €150 million Platforms for Growth Programme, which falls under the Government's Project Ireland 2040 strategy. The Platforms for Growth Programme targets projects that have the greatest potential to grow tourism throughout the year.

Advertisement

News

Free composting workshop in Fossa on Saturday

The Fossa Climate Action Group is inviting the public to a free composting workshop this Saturday at Fossa Community Hall. Taking place from 11am to 1pm, the workshop will be […]

Published

on

The Fossa Climate Action Group is inviting the public to a free composting workshop this Saturday at Fossa Community Hall.

Taking place from 11am to 1pm, the workshop will be led by Donal O’ Leary of Waste Down, who will share his 25 years of expertise on turning household and garden waste into valuable compost for gardens. The session is aimed at anyone with an interest in gardening, improving soil health, and reducing food waste.
Diarmaid Griffin, PRO of Fossa Climate Action Group, said: “It is a great to start off our series of workshops with Donal O’ Leary of Waste Down. He has a vast knowledge on the fundamentals of soil health and explains it in simple and understandable language. Everyone can compost whether you have a big garden or none at all. Each method will be explained in detail.”
The Fossa Climate Action Group thanked the Department of the Environment and Community Foundation Ireland for their support in making this informative workshop available to the community free of charge.

Continue Reading

News

Radio Kerry to feature National Park’s dawn chorus

The spectacular dawn chorus in Killarney National Park will be the focus of the Saturday Supplement on Radio Kerry this Saturday morning. Presenter Frank Lewis will highlight the natural spectacle. […]

Published

on

The spectacular dawn chorus in Killarney National Park will be the focus of the Saturday Supplement on Radio Kerry this Saturday morning.

Presenter Frank Lewis will highlight the natural spectacle.
“The chorus of birds singing together, from about 45 minutes before to 45 minutes after sunrise, our most spectacular phenomenon in nature, is at its best during these weeks.” He said.
The programme, recorded in Knockreer at dawn on April 13, will also capture the early morning floral displays.
The programme will also include insights from 88-year-old former Park Superintendent Dan Kelliher, who describes “the amazing experience of seeing a full moon sitting on top of Torc mountain – and hearing bagpipes being played in Muckross Abbey around midnight.”
Conservation ranger Padruig O’Sullivan will discuss the Park’s ongoing development.
Walks guide Richie Clancy will share a historical anecdote: “In 1969 this tall stranger asked if I could take him to where he could get a photograph of Dairy Cottage where General de Gaulle was staying. I told him we would be a long way away but he said that was no problem that he had a long lens. Over the years there had been 33 attempts to assassinate de Gaulle. I learned afterwards that the stranger was Padraig Kennelly who started Kerry’s Eye.”
The programme will also touch on the blossoming wild garlic woods, the view from Deenagh Lodge, improvements at Knockreer Gardens, the story of Coda the monk, the bluebells, King’s Bridge, the changing path at Gamewood Bridge, and stories from Teahouse Point.
Tune in to Radio Kerry this Saturday to hear Frank Lewis in conversation with Dan Kelliher, Padruig O’Sullivan, Richie Clancy, and Ed Carty, who began their recording walk at 5.30 am in Knockreer.

Field ornithologist Ed Carty has revealed that the Great Spotted Woodpecker is breeding in Killarney National Park.

Carty will be a guest on Radio Kerry’s Saturday Supplement. The programme, recorded on April 13, (see main story) will focus the dawn chorus,
During the recording of the programme, Carty said: “During the past few weeks the Great Spotted Woodpecker has been heard here in the Gamewood in Knockreer. We expect to find it breeding here in the coming weeks – for the first time in hundreds of years or maybe much longer.”
Since the recording, it has been confirmed that the Great Spotted Woodpecker is now breeding in this area of Killarney National Park.
Great Spotted Woodpeckers appear to have gone extinct in Ireland following deforestation in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The first recorded sighting of a Great Spotted Woodpecker for Killarney National Park was in 2013, where it was observed in the Tomies Wood area. This new development is significant as it is one of the first recorded breeding activity within the Park.

Continue Reading

Last News

Sport