News

New Stena ferry arrives

Stena Line's newest ferry has begun sailing the Dublin to Holyhead route on the Irish Sea.

The 215m (705ft) Stena Estrid is described as "one of the most advanced vessels in operation", with space to carry 120 cars and 1,000 passengers.

The RoPax vessel (Roll-on, Roll-off Passenger Ferry) will now make two daily return trips on the route, with a crossing time of three hours and 15 minutes.

Fares currently start from €104 each-way for a motorist with car.

Facilities on board include the ship’s Sky Bar, two 'Happy World' children’s play areas, two movie lounges, a larger Truckers' lounge, Taste restaurant and bigger shopping area.

Revised Plan for College Green

A new application for Dublin city’s flagship traffic-free civic plaza at College Green, Dublin, will be submitted early this year, Dublin City Council chief executive Owen Keegan has collegegreen

confirmed to the 'Irish Times'.

In November 2018 An Bord Pleanála rejected the council’s plans for pedestrian and cycle plaza scheme due to concerns about the “significantly negative impacts” it would have on bus transport and traffic in the city.

Mr Keegan said he was confident the new application would be approved by the board, even though it would still require buses to be banned from crossing College Green to access Dame Street.

The council has been preparing plans for the plaza since 2015 and has said the creation of the traffic-free space was essential to the smooth running of the Luas Green line that began operations through the city centre two years ago.

Prime Property for PREM

The Prem Group is to open a new flagship aparthotel in Amsterdam.

The Premier Suites Plus Amsterdam will be a luxury offering located in the business area of Zuidas and is the company's highest-spec premises to date.

Prem Group has taken a long-term lease in the Hourglass Building, which is currently under construction and is expected to become a landmark building in the district due to its distinctive design. Prem Group is investing €2.5m in the fit-out.

CEO Jim Murphy said this property is taking the group's accommodation "to another level".

'King of Beaujolais' passes away

Georges Duboeuf, who has died aged 86, was known as "le roi du Beaujolais" and was credited with turning Beaujolais Nouveau, a drink once handed out for nothing on village georges

streets, into a major product.

In the 1970s, Duboeuf, who had set up his own production company, Les Vins Georges Duboeuf, in 1964, was looking for a new idea to steal a march on his rivals. He noticed how villages in Beaujolais had taken to celebrating each new harvest by sploshing raw wine into the goblets of vineyard workers and passers-by.

The merriment of the occasion made up for the new wine's shortcomings, and the practice spread to the streets of Lyon and even to Paris, where from the 1950s there was an annual race among restaurateurs to get their hands on the first bottles.

Flogas offers carbon offsets

Amidst increased pressure on the commercial sector to take more responsibility for their carbon footprint by driving down carbon emissions, Flogas has launched a carbon offsetting solution for its commercial customers. It will allow them to offset 100% of their own carbon emissions by providing critical support for projects directly benefiting the environment.

John Rooney, managing director, Flogas Ireland is pictured with brand ambassador Neven Maguire at the launch of the initiative.

Flogas has offset its own carbon emissions and that of Flogas brand ambassador Neven Maguire’s restaurant and home. Collectively, they have now compensated for over 3,500 tonnes of carbon emissions in 2019, achieved by investing in climate protection projects via South Pole, a provider of carbon offsetting projects all over the world.

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