Home

 

Starbucks has been notified that it will require planning permission for its branch on St Patrick’s Street, Cork, to remain in business.

The company has been issued with enforcement proceedings by Cork City Council over the unauthorised change of use of a former O2 store to the coffee shop in 2015. The case was referred to the courts after Starbucks failed to comply with a closure order by June 29, 2017.

 In a new ruling, An Bord Pleanála has stated that the use of the premises for the sale of convenience goods is a development which requires planning permission.

 

Adare Manor has been named as the Global Winner of ‘Hotel of the Year 2018’ in the Virtuoso ‘Best of the Best Awards 2018’.  The Awards ceremony took  in Las Vegas at the Virtuoso Travel Week, the largest luxury travel trade show in the world.  Virtuoso is a network of luxury travel agencies, with more than 17,500 advisors worldwide.  They represent the best of the best in travel, with a portfolio of nearly 1,700 preferred partners, including luxury hotels from all over the world. 

 

 This year marks the 12th Annual Virtuoso ‘Best of the Best Awards’ that honour and recognize Virtuoso Hotels and Resorts Preferred Partners from all over the world.   The Awards include categories, and the final award on the night of ‘Hotel of the Year 2018’ was presented to Adare Manor.  Four other worldwide properties nominated in the category, included properties from Mauritius, Morocco, France and the U.K.

 

  Adare Manor’s CEO, Colm Hannon said:

Molly Malone’s voice will echo over the streets of Dublin as the Molly Malone statue on Suffolk Street becomes the latest addition to the Fáilte Ireland Talking Statues initiative

 for Dublin. The statue will be given a voice by US student, Michaela McMahon who won an open public competition to pen the words spoken by the Molly Malone statue, with her winning script subsequently narrated by actress and singer, Maria Doyle Kennedy.  

This is the latest development of the Dublin’s Talking Statues project, an initiative of Fáilte Ireland, supported by Dublin City Council and in conjunction with Arts Producers Sing London, with the assistance of The Abbey Theatre, the OPW, The National Gallery, The GPO & Trinity College.  

 

Michaela McMahon returned from America to attend the launch of the Molly Malone Talking Statue. Michaela is a student, who is currently studying for dual degrees in English Literature and Cultural and Historic Preservation, (with a minor in Creative Writing), and had just completed a semester at University College Cork as an exchange student when she won the competition.

Speaking at the launch, Mark Rowlette, Manager of Dublin at Fáilte Ireland said:

Almost 3,000 hotel bedrooms are in the planning pipeline for Dublin city centre and its immediate environs, according to a new report.

 Figures compiled by Construction Information Services (CIS) point to a surge in development activity with plans either submitted or approved for 35 hotels comprising a total of 2,961 bedrooms this year alone.

 A further 44 hotels comprising 3,903 bedrooms are at tender award or construction stage in Dublin city, bringing the total number of new hotels due for delivery to 79.