Welcome from Our Chief Executive, Michael Kearney
As Chief Executive of Carlton Hotel Group, I'd like to welcome you to our new blog.
This is a very exciting time for the company as we are major sponsors of the International Rose of Tralee for the 3rd consecutive year, we are looking forward to welcoming the 2010 Roses on their Rose Tour across Ireland.
Posted: 2010-08-30 10:00:00
It was a great weekend in GAA sports with three fantastic football matches taking place over Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I was delighted to see Dublin beat Laois in the All-Ireland Ladies Senior Football Final in Carlow.
It was a very disappointing day in Croke Park yesterday for both my native county Galway and my adopted county Kildare as they were both beaten. Galway lost to Cork by only one point in a very close All-Ireland Minor Football Semi-Final. And Kildare lost to Down in the All-Ireland Senior Football Semi-Final by another tight margin of only two points. I was at both matches myself and the atmosphere at the famous GAA venue was amazing.
Although I was sorry to see Kildare and Galway lose I must say congratulations to both Down and Cork on ...
Posted: 2010-08-27 17:00:00
Back in Dublin now and back to reality as the Rose of Tralee is now over. It’s been a busy week for us as we’ve hosted a lot of the events at our hotels. But I must say it was well worth it as the festival was a great success overall. I would like to say a big thank you to Thys Vogels and his team at the Carlton Hotel Tralee for looking after us all for the past few days.
Now its time to focus on Kildare’s journey to the All-Ireland final of the Senior Football Championship! I was disappointed for Dublin last week as I do feel they deserved to beat Cork but unfortunately they let it go towards the end of the match. However, I’m convinced my adopted county Kildare have what it takes to beat Down on Sunday. I’ll definitely be watching the ma ...
Posted: 2010-08-26 10:30:00
Tuesday night was a great success and I must admit the ‘socialising’ went on well into the wee hours this morning. However, the BBQ organised by Tralee County Council on Wednesday afternoon definitely helped to nurse a few sore heads!
My official duties as a judge of the Rose of Tralee have now come to an end and I must say it was a great experience. It was my first time in Tralee for the entire festival and I would definitely recommend marking it in your calendar for next year as it really is a fantastic event.
Unfortunately I had to head back home on Wednesday evening so I didn’t get to see Alexandra Burke perform. However, I did get to meet her and I found out the celebrity lifestyle isn’t as glamorous as you would think! After he ...
Posted: 2010-08-24 23:50:00
After two very early starts in a row it was nice to get a bit of a lie-in this morning after a late night at the live show last night. There were no official duties to take part in this morning but I did have lunch with my fellow judges and the all the Roses this afternoon.
Lunch was followed by an afternoon studying the profiles of all the Roses and the notes I had made about each of their interviews. I had to prepare myself for the difficult decision that was ahead of me!
The live shows kicked off at about 8pm, but as with the previous evening I had been in the Dome waiting since 7.30pm. It was a great show with the remaining 14 Roses coming across very well and of course Dáithí almost stole the show again!
Following the show we ...
Posted: 2010-08-23 23:45:00
I had an early start this morning with the final set of group interviews beginning at 8.30am. Once the interviews were over I headed up to my room at the Carlton Hotel Tralee to prepare for the first round of live interviews in the Dome.
As one of the judges of the Rose of Tralee I had to be in the Dome by 7.30pm in plenty of time for the live broadcast to begin at 8.00pm. I must say it was a great night with the first 18 Roses coming across very well on the stage. Dáithí Ó’Sé almost stole the show from the Roses though as he was brilliant in his role as compere for the night.
There are another 14 Roses to see tomorrow night but I’m definitely not looking forward to the tough decision ahead of choosing a winner!
Posted: 2010-08-22 20:00:00
Fireworks and dancing completed last night's festivities, but it was off to bed early for me as I had an early start this morning.
I was down for breakfast at 7.30am as I have a full day of Judging ahead. Twelve hours later and all the individual interviews are now complete. There are definitely a very interesting bunch of Roses this year, with many varied qualities.
The final set of interviews in a group format will start from 8.30am tomorrow. After this we will rely on the TV presentation to confirm the Rose for 2010.
Heading down town now to take in the great pubs of Tralee! Oh and the Roses are attending the biggest fashion show in Ireland tonight, the style and fashion around the Carlton Hotel Tralee is amazing. Well done everyone.
Posted: 2010-08-21 21:00:00
Today saw the first round of interviews taking place and although they went very well, there were lots of hoarse and nervous ladies. I'm not sure whether it was the ball last night that left them hoarse or if it was just the nerves!
All the Roses were on a high this evening getting ready for the highlight of the weekend, the big parade through the streets of Tralee. It has been a great night so far with what seems like the whole town turning up in support of the Roses. Along with all the residents of Tralee there are also plenty of celebrities around including former Roses.
I'm enjoying the weekend in Tralee, especially in my role as a new judge but I am a bit nervous about the live shows starting on Monday!
Posted: 2010-08-21 10:00:00
The Rose Ball at the Carlton Hotel Tralee last night was full of glamour and excitement as the 32 Roses were introduced to the people of Tralee. Charmaine Kenny, the current Rose of Tralee, made a wonderful speech describing her action packed year and all the interesting places that she visited through out the World.
Earlier in the evening, before the festivities kicked off, the judges and Dáithí Ó'Sé were introduced to the Roses and their Escorts. I had already met most of the Roses briefly at events throughout the week but it was great to get the chance to speak to them all individually.
Throughout the night there were some early nerves visible as the events gets closer to the judging process. I'm really looking forward to the s ...
Posted: 2010-08-20 18:00:00
I traveled down to Tralee last night in preparation for the duties ahead of me as part of my new role as one of the judges of the Rose of Tralee. I met with the Rose committee in Tralee for dinner and we were joined by the current Rose of Tralee, Charmaine Kenny.
We got a chance to look inside the Dome at the Carlton Hotel Tralee which I must say looks even better than it did last year. We enjoyed a night of entertainment by Willoughby Brothers followed by in early night to rest before tomorrow’s events.
This morning I got away from it all before the big commitments of the weekend and played golf as a guest of Gerry Maloney, Captain of Tralee Golf Club. What a fantastic experience and must play course for all golf enthusiasts.
I’m just ...
Posted: 2010-08-20 10:00:00
As soon as the Roses arrived at the Carlton Castletroy Park Hotel they headed straight up to their rooms to freshen up and get ready to meet their Escorts. When the Escorts arrived they lined up along the corridor to greet the Roses as they came down in the lifts while the Michael Bublé tribute band played ‘Just haven’t met you yet’.
After photos at the front of the hotel it was into the restaurant for dinner where there was a great unexpected surprise for the Roses and their Escorts. There happened to be some orchestra members from the University of Limerick in the hotel at the time and they sang ‘The Rose of Tralee’ for the Roses during dinner.
Following dinner and drinks the Escorts were shipped off to Tralee whi ...
Posted: 2010-08-19 14:30:00
Before arriving in Ballinasloe the Roses stopped off in Birr to try out their Camogie skills, where the Washington DC Rose displayed her natural skills by winning the puck fada striking the ball and all in front of her!
The Gala evening in aid of the Stargazer Lily Foundation was a great success with plenty of money raised local cancer care charities. Dinner was followed by plenty of dancing and the night ended at 1am when it was off to bed for a well earned rest.
This morning at 8am there were lots of tired eyes at breakfast but there was a great recovery programme planned with a Roses pamper morning in the C Spa at the Carlton Shearwater Hotel. The Roses left Balli ...
Posted: 2010-08-18 18:00:00
The Roses were up early this morning and greeted by an unusual sight in the lobby of the Carlton Hotel Dublin Airport. Captain Morgan was there to greet the ladies in his full pirate attire as they got ready to leave Dublin. However, it was a bit too early to partake in a glass of the famous rum!
Leaving Dublin the Roses then headed to the Midlands, stopping in Offaly along the way to learn camogie in the Birr Castle Demense. From there they travelled to Ballinasloe where their evening began with a journey around the town in Vintage Cars followed by Afternoon Tea in the civic offices.
Tonight will see the Carlton Shearwater Hotel host the annual Charity Gala Ball ...
Posted: 2010-08-18 12:00:00
It was a late one last night at the Carlton Dublin Airport with Des Willoughby and Frankly Bublé entertaining us into the small hours. At one stage some of the Roses even joined in with Frankly Bublé on a rendition of Mustang Sally.
During dinner I found out about some of the antics the Roses got up to during their visit to the Dáil that afternoon. Apparently when they discovered that Kerry Senator Mark Daly was free and single he was a big hit, especially with all the single Roses vying for his attention!
I must congratulate Charmaine Kenny on her speech last night, she came across very well as she explained to the Roses the duties they have ahead of them. She encouraged them to make s ...
Posted: 2010-08-17 00:00:00
Walking through the lobby of the Carlton Dublin Airport this morning was an interesting sight with all the Roses getting ready to leave on their tour of Dublin. The ladies in the office were fascinated by the fashion which was lost on me but I was taken aback by the Kerry Rose who appeared to have a shoe on her head.
Their tour of Dublin took them to most of the popular attractions in the city including Dublin Castle, Dáil Eireann, Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Jail. Then it’s back to the Carlton Hotel Dublin Airport for the first gala evening of the week.
This evening should be a great event and will be a chance for everyone to get to know each other for the week ahead. I’ll be host ...
Posted: 2010-08-16 00:00:00
This is the third year that the Carlton Hotel Group have sponsored the Rose of Tralee Festival but it is the first year that I am on the judging panel and I must admit I’m really looking forward to my new role.
Monday morning began with breakfast at the Carlton Hotel Dublin Airport followed by a media briefing with all the Roses and Dáithí Ó’Sé. I was delighted to catch up with Dáithí as he takes on his duties as the new compere of the Rose of Tralee Festival.
The Roses then headed off to Dublin Zoo where our South Australia Rose’s screams could be heard for miles as she got to know Brian the snake! Then followed ...
Posted: 2010-08-15 00:00:00
Tipperary really put up a fight against Waterford at Croke Park on Sunday and definitely deserved to win as they were by far the better team on the day. I’m looking forward to Tipperary putting up the same battle against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final on Sunday 5th September.
Across the Atlantic, Rory McIlroy finished joint third in the US PGA in the early hours of Sunday morning. As a keen golfer myself I’m looking forward to following him in the Ryder Cup in October and hopefully he’ll get his chance to take on Tiger Woods.
I’ve also been keeping up to date on my Rose of Tralee duties over the weekend with Saturday morning spent reading up on all of this year’s contestants. I also got to meet some of them as they arrived at ...
Posted: 2010-08-14 00:00:00
It was great to see Grainne Murphy triumph on Saturday with a silver medal in the 1500 metre freestyle competition in the European Swimming Championships, especially after narrowly missing out on the bronze medal on Thursday.
Cheering on my native county Galway in the Senior Camogie semi-final on Saturday I was disappointed to see them draw against Cork in Nowlan Park. But all is not lost yet as they have another chance to take on Cork next Sunday and will hopefully make it to the All-Ireland final.
I’ll be cheering on Galway next Sunday anyway as they’re our only hope for an All-Ireland medal this year!
Posted: 2010-08-13 00:00:00
Like thousands of people across Ireland I’ll be watching the Hurling Semi-Final matches on Sunday to see who’ll be taking on the Cats in the All-Ireland Final. Dublin take on Clare in the Minors but the Senior semi-final with Tipperary and Waterford could be a very close match with them both having made it to the final in the past two years, they’ll be eager to try for the All-Ireland again.
Following this weekend the battle for the Senior Football Final begins with Dublin against Cork next Sunday and my adopted county Kildare against Down on Sunday 29th. I’m hoping for a Kildare and Dublin final as the rivalry between the border counties should lead to an exciting All-Ireland final.
While I’m talking about sport I must mention ...
Posted: 2010-08-10 00:00:00
What a weekend for Kilkenny GAA, winners in both the Minor and Senior hurling matches. I was really disappointed at Galway’s defeat as I thought they could do it this year but I must say well done to Kilkenny as they were on top form all weekend.
Galway may have lost the hurling match but there will still be plenty of celebrating in Ballinasloe! The Carlton Shearwater Hotel & Conference Centre are marking their third birthday on Thursday 12th August.
It’s been a great three years for the property and it has now established itself as one of the leading hotels in Galway. To celebrate their third birthday they are doing an amazing promotion on their accommodation rates and are selling rooms for only €33!
It’s almost time f ...
Posted: 2010-08-06 00:00:00
Tuesday saw me calling into our Dublin Airport hotel as I had a few meetings in their new conference wing and I was delighted to bump into Katie O’Dwyer, one of the hotel’s duty managers. Katie left the hotel a year ago to travel the world, visiting such places as Thailand & Australia, and I’m delighted to report that she’s now back in Ireland and back at work in the Carlton Hotel Dublin Airport.
While in Dublin Airport I met with our group marketing team to finalise the details of this year’s Rose of Tralee campaign before its launch on Thursday. We had decided some months ago that as Dáithí O’Se is the first Kerryma ...
Posted: 2010-08-05 00:00:00
We’ve had a fantastic weekend in sport with amazing wins in the GAA Senior Football Championship and a silver medal for Derval O’Rourke in the European Championships. I’d had a great time watching Dublin triumph over Tyrone and my adopted county, Kildare’s victory over Meath.
After a much shorter journey down to Cork on the new motorway, I called into the Carlton Hotel Kinsale on Monday for a bite to eat in Captains Bar. With the 90 acres of parkland around the hotel, it’s a great location to walk off your lunch before the drive back home.
I was delighted to find the hotel bustling with people and after having a chat with the general manager, John McGrath, I discovered it was mai ...
Posted: 2010-07-30 00:00:00
Well its Friday again, that was a very quick week. I arrived to Carlton Hotel Galway City on Monday where I had a lovely lunch before we departed by bus to Ballybrit race course, Charmaine Kenny this year’s Rose of Tralee and her lovely friend Nicola joined us for the day. It was a great evening of fun, my colleague, our MD, John Varley who is better known for his knowledge of sea rather than horses backed the winner “Admiral Barry” which was an outsider for our feature race www.carlton.ie/galwaycity so he was delighted. I think that cute Kerry woman Jean O Connell who heads up our sales and marketing also has a winner or two.
Tuesday morning we were up bright and early where John and I travelled to ...
Posted: 2010-07-23 00:00:00
Wexford - Bunclody
I spent the earlier part of the week down in the Sunny South East in our Property, the Carlton Millrace. I’ve always been a fan of Wexford so it’s always a pleasure whenever I get the chance to pop down for a visit be it business or leisure.
One of the recent additions to the landscape in Bunclody has been the magnificent Bunclody Golf and Fishing Club, Ian Kerr the club Pro gave me a tour around the course and it’s definitely up there with the best parkland courses in the country. The lift to the 18th Tee has serious WoW factor.
Galway Races
I’ve been brought up with the Galway Races as we lived only a few miles down the roa ...
Posted: 2010-07-16 00:00:00
Spent a very productive day in Westport yesterday, definitely one of my favourite destinations especially on a clear day with all 365 islands in Clew Bay visible in all their glory.
If you haven't been down west before, put on the list. From Westport you are within a short drive of some of our most scenic spots on the Island. A great new addition to Westport is rebirth of the old railway line which has been converted into a walkway/cycleway which stretches the whole way out to Mulranny, I’ll definitely pack the walking shoes next time I’m down.
I was down in Westport to sample our new FishWorks cafebar which is proving a big hit locally, especially with people dropping down to th ...
Posted: 2010-07-08 10:00:00
Arriving in Carlton Hotel Dublin Airport on Sunday 15th August all the Roses will meet for the first time so there will be a lot of excitement and fun. The highlights will include visits to popular tourism spots including Kilmainham Jail and the Guinness Storehouse followed by a Carlton Corporate Night which is always a glamorous and often a late night!
On Wednesday 18th the Rose bus travels West for Ballinasloe, with a civic reception where the Roses travel on open vintage cars. Fingers crossed for some sunshine for what plans to be a great occasion for the town of Ballinasloe! Young local Rose buds can enter the poetry competition at the Carlton Shearwater Hotel and the ...
Posted: 2010-07-07 14:55:10
Along with many other football fans I was disappointed that we didn’t get the chance to cheer on Ireland in the World Cup this year. And as a result I was turning my focus to other sports that Ireland were competing in. This is how I came upon the World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland.
For those of you that may not be familiar with the event, the World Wife Carrying Championships is an annual competition that takes place in Finland every year. Last year an Irish team took part in the event and wanted to return this year to defend their title of ‘Most Entertaining Couple’. When Ciara Crossan, founder of weddingdates.ie, approached us about sponsoring them to take part in the championships ...
Posted: 2010-07-07 10:07:00
I love to hear of new initiatives happening at our hotels and I think Carlton Shearwater get the prize this month for the most unique guest activity, zorbing! For the "uninitiated", this involves climbing into a giant plastic ball and rolling down a hill at top speed! Guaranteed to get our younger (and not so young) guests out of bed on a Saturday morning!
For slightly less adventurous guests, who would still like to get out and about and see some of the local countryside, the hotel is also offering a "Getaway with a difference", with kayaking and orienteering trips.
Our activity partners “Upriver.ie” are highly trained and experienced ...
