K Club announces Ladycastle development in partnership with Firstlight

One of the world’s most famous five-star golf and spa resorts, The K Club has announced a partnership with leading global co-ownership specialist Firstlight, to offer shared ownership of luxurious properties set within this outstanding 550-acre resort in County Kildare, just south of Dublin.

The K Club, which celebrates its 18th anniversary this year, was founded by Sir Michael Smurfit and boasts two championship golf courses designed by Arnold Palmer; famously hosting the Ryder Cup in 2006, in addition to 14 European Opens.

As well as attracting the world’s greatest golfers to its fairway - from Tiger Woods to Darren Clarke - many of the world’s most famous faces have visited the legendary retreat, from Bill Clinton and Daniel Craig to David and Victoria Beckham, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.

The magnificent 18th century chateau-style hotel, which has received endless accolades, was the first resort in Ireland to attain 5-AA red star rating, and was voted Egon Ronay Irish Hotel of the Year 1997 whilst also enjoying European and global recognition with Conde Nast’s Top Resort in Europe 2005, Robb Report Top 100 Resorts in The World.

Firstlight will be offering the opportunity to truly be a part of this idyllic Irish estate with shared ownership of a sumptuous property on the Ladycastle development with a choice of houses, apartments and duplex residences on offer. With easy access from Dublin airport, The K Club offers a retreat in the breathtaking Kildare countryside coupled with the delights of Dublin city centre just 30 minutes away.

Sir Michael Smurfit commented, “We are incredibly proud of our achievements over the past 18 years and look forward to continued success. The project with Firstlight is an exciting opportunity to welcome more visitors and guests to The K Club, with all the delights it has to offer. The current trend toward fractional ownership within luxury resorts offers a real opportunity for The K Club to enhance its position as one of the world’s leading destinations and to entice visitors from across the globe thanks to the option for exchange amongst the world’s most exclusive residences.”

Firstlight managing director Matt Spence added, “We’re thrilled to have partnered with The K Club and to bring this remarkable offering to the marketplace. Shared ownership of these two, three and four-bedroom luxury properties will entice a new audience to experience this truly outstanding authentic Irish resort, as well as discovering other premier destinations through the exchange facility. The properties at Firstlight The K Club are an ideal lifestyle retreat, finished to the highest standards and offering unrivalled luxury that will appeal to a broad international audience, as well as the domestic market.”

Benefits of fractional ownership will include full family membership to The K Club, with use of its two championship golf courses, a dedicated concierge service and 5-star luxury facilities; such as a deluxe golf cart for internal transportation, a private locker in the clubhouse, airport transfers to ensure that the Firstlight experience starts as soon as you land, plus full housekeeping service, property maintenance and a luxury welcome hamper on arrival each visit.

Owners will enjoy six weeks of usage per year, with two of those available at short notice, and a title deed which is undivided, giving you the chance to own a luxury holiday residence at a fraction of the total property price, with a greater market for resale.

It’s also a hassle-free option, with owners enjoying all the benefits of their own property when they need it without the need to sublet when unoccupied or be concerned with maintenance and upkeep, plus the unique ability to exchange with more than forty other luxury resorts throughout the world.

Residents of Firstlight The K Club will have access to all amenities of the resort including the chic and award-winning K Spa; an oasis of contemporary calm with a host of treatments and facilities on offer, whilst other activities include fly fishing on the private river, fishing and golf lessons, horseriding, clay target shooting, archery, falconry, Celtic games, art tours, wine cellar tours, cookery demonstrations and cycling. Families can also benefit from nanny and babysitting services, children’s activity club, outdoor playground, swimming lessons and indoor activities.

Ryanair to allow passengers to ‘smoke’ onboard

Ryanair, today announced that smokers no longer have to worry about long flights without a cigarette as it launches a new range of Smokeless Cigarettes to ensure passengers get their required nicotine hit without breaking the law by ‘lighting up’ onboard their aircraft.

In a recent survey over 24,000 Ryanair passengers said they would like to smoke during flights. However, smoking on commercial flights has been illegal since the 1990’s but now to cater to passengers’ demands Ryanair has introduced Similar Smokeless Cigarettes, which look and feel like a real cigarette and deliver a small amount of nicotine through inhalation – passengers do not light the ‘cigarette’.

Ryanair’s new Similar Smokeless Cigarettes are available to passengers over 18 years of age and are sold in packs of 10 onboard all Ryanair flights for just €6. Similar Smokeless Cigarettes contain no toxins or chemicals and are harmless to the user and to those around them.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said, “Ryanair’s low fares, unrivalled punctuality, least lost bags and fewest cancelations of any major European airline deliver exactly what passengers want. Now, to help passengers who like to smoke and find it difficult to travel on an aircraft for a couple of hours without getting their nicotine hit, Ryanair has launched Similar Smokeless Cigarettes. Ryanair’s Smokeless Cigarettes deliver a similar level of nicotine to traditional cigarettes and are available in packs of 10 for just €6. As these cigarettes are smokeless they cause no discomfort to other passengers and can ensure a more enjoyable and stress free flight for all passengers as non-smokers will no longer have to cope with moody smokers in need of nicotine”.

Smokeless Director Chris Parsons said, “Yet another first for Ryanair – now it’s also the smokers’ favourite airline”.

St Patrick Themed Hotel Planned

Downpatrick, one of Northern Ireland's most historic towns, has been selected for a new £14 million hotel right in the heart of the famous St Patrick’s Trail. Plans unveiled reveal a three-star-deluxe 80 bedroom themed 'St Patrick’s Abbey Hotel'. The hotel will provide a significant job boost of 75 full time jobs and at least 60 jobs during the construction period.

The new Saint Patrick's Abbey Hotel will provide 3 star deluxe accomodation and facilities for locals and tourists is expected to provide an all new gateway to the Co Down area for business, culture and tourism.


Kevin Smyth, from the hotel development team, pictured here, (on right), with Dr Tim Campell, Director of Saint Patrick's Visitor Centre explained: "Each year more than 125,000 visitors pass through this area and the town’s importance until recently has been neglected. Now, there is a definite regeneration in the area with projects that are attracting new visitors".

He added: "We identified a need for quality accommodation. This project will be the first superior hotel of its kind in the town and it will encourage visitors to extend their stay in this area of natural beauty. The company will source local supplies and labour for this project in order to help improve the construction industry as well. At a time when many are shying away from development, it's important for us to look positively to the future."

Kevin hailed the venture as "a fantastic tourism product" that will provide superior, affordable accommodation and a taste of the real Ireland for visitors and locals.

Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie, welcomed the news: "I am delighted that this exciting new St Patrick's Abbey hotel development is coming to our county town. At a time of economic downturn, this investment will create much needed local employment."

Ms Ritchie said the announcement comes on the back of the opening of a new hospital, cinema and regional college and is further confirmation that the regeneration of Downpatrick is well under way. Construction is expected to commence in January 2010 and the hotel will open in late spring 2011.

Catch of the day - A 500kg monster

Weighing 500 kilos, this 14-foot shark was caught by fishermen off Lambay Island near Skerries. THIS massive basking shark which was caught up in a fisherman's net in the Irish Sea yesterday will be served up as an exotic dish at a number of restaurants this weekend. The 500kg shark was taken on board by fishermen who were trawling for prawns off Lambay Island near Skerries, north county Dublin yesterday.

The 14-foot long shark, nicknamed a "sunfish" due to its habit of swimming just below the water's surface, became entangled in the trawler's nets and died about an hour or two before skipper Ian Milne of MVF Celtic Venture hauled the massive fish on board.

Basking sharks were once fished off these shores for their oil up until about 20 years ago. Although the EU has placed a moratorium on fishing them in Northern Ireland and the UK, they are not protected as an endangered species in the Republic.



While the shark will fetch about €10 a kilo at Doran's Pier of Howth, where it is now being sold to the public and local restaurants, basking sharks are not commercially viable for fisherman, according to owner Sean Doran.

"It's not high value and very awkward to get on board. However, shark is a bit of a delicacy in some countries and orders were coming in as soon as the massive haul was reported by locals", he said.

A record number of basking sharks have recently been tagged off the Donegal coast, including 50 in just three days in June. Basking sharks are not a danger to swimmers, like their cousins the Great White shark, although they could capsize a boat or sailboat if swimming high enough in the water.

High fliers descend on Kerry: Google staff arrive for sales conference

Google delegates arriving at Kerry Airport for an internal sales conference at the Inec, Killarney. About 2,500 staff from the company's operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa are attending the event.

A MINI-INVASION of Killarney by young, shiny, happy people attired in jeans and T-shirts yesterday was not the vanguard of some new religious movement. Google had come to town. About 2,500 staff from Google’s operations around Europe, the Middle East and Africa descended on the Co Kerry town for an internal sales conference.


The Engage 2009 conference, which takes place at Ireland’s National Event Centre (INEC), will no doubt provide a much-needed shot in the arm for Killarney tourism after a challenging summer season. Financial support to bring the conference to Kerry, which was held in Greece last year, was provided by Tourism Ireland.

The assembled Google staff will hear the company’s plans for the coming year and will be addressed by senior executives, including the company’s chairman and chief executive, Eric Schmidt. Mr Schmidt’s personal Gulfstream jet was one of about six private or chartered aircraft that landed at Kerry Airport yesterday. A qualified pilot, Mr Schmidt flew his own jet for part of the journey from Silicon Valley. Google also chartered six trains to bring staff to Kerry with the minimum of delay.

Hospitality jobs created as Ireland's biggest restaurant opens in Belfast

Ireland's largest restaurant opened new premises in Belfast yesterday (November 5th), creating 60 full and part-time hospitality jobs.

The new Bengal Brasserie restaurant on the Lisburn Road occupies 2,000 sq ft and seats 164 people, making it Ireland's biggest eatery. This is the second Bengal Brasserie to open in Belfast with its Ormeau Road premises set to celebrate its twentieth anniversary later this month.

Owner Nigel Rahman, 33, who moved to Belfast from Bangladesh over a decade ago, told the Belfast Telegraph that the new restaurant represents a £2 million investment in the city. Mr Rahman said that Bengal Brasserie is committed to re-investing within the city to bring an imaginative cooking style to the Lisburn Road. "The Bengal will offer a distinctive dining experience for food lovers as well as state-of-the-art business and conferencing facilities for more than 60 people," he said.

The original restaurant was located in the Ormeau Bakery but moved for re-development in 2007 to new lodgings further up the road.

Ikea to bring restaurant jobs to Dublin

Furniture giant Ikea has opened a new store in Dublin, which will see 100 local jobs created in the city. Restaurant work at the chain's in-store eatery will also be available as part of the recruitment drive, following high customer demand in its first month of trading, reports the Irish Times.


An average of 15,500 people per day have visited the store since it opened on July 27th and last week alone its restaurant served up more than 137,000 meatballs. The new jobs will initially be filled on a temporary basis with a two-month contract, which the firm said will be extended if the current level of demand is maintained.

Currently 500 people are employed at the store, with 280 entry-level local jobs being made available when it first opened. At the end of the 2008 financial year, there were 253 Ikea Group stores in 24 countries that were visited by 565 million customers.

Fairtrade Certified Coffee Market Set to Increase by 18% in the UK and Ireland

Starbucks Serves up its first Fairtrade Lattes and Cappuccinos across the UK and Ireland - Tens of Thousands of Coffee Farmers to Benefit

Starbucks stores in the UK and Ireland (NASDAQ: SBUX) today began serving 100% Fairtrade Certified and Starbucks(TM) Shared Planet(TM) verified coffee in all of their espresso-based beverages. Every one of the 2 million visitors per week can walk away with a Fairtrade Certified Cappuccino, Latte or Mocha and help support small-scale farmers and their communities in developing countries around the world.


This move is expected to increase the amount of Fairtrade Certified coffee sold in the UK and Ireland by 18% this year. Moreover, Starbucks commitment to continuing a long-term relationship with Fairtrade and small-scale coffee growers is projected to generate a Fairtrade premium of more than £350,000 from sales in the UK and Ireland alone in the coming year, for farmers to invest in community projects.

Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation UK, said, "Starbucks is really setting the pace for the coffee industry by using its global size for good. This move will expand the reach of Fairtrade and deepen its impact on tens of thousands of farmers who are at the very heart of the Fairtrade system. Farmers need Fairtrade now more than ever, and even though these are difficult economic times, people across the country are staying loyal to their ethical values and to Fairtrade. From today they can enjoy Fairtrade values over their favourite Starbucks coffee."

Rick Stein in restaurant jobs boost?

Celebrity chef Rick Stein could be set to create new restaurant jobs in Cornwall as he looks to open a new eatery in Falmouth. The cook, famous for his seafood dishes, has a long-standing association with nearby Padstow and now he wants to open a new fish and chip restaurant further down the road.

A spokesperson for the chef said: "Nothing has been confirmed as we are in the early stages of planning permission which has now been put forward. I can confirm we are looking at a site in Falmouth and we are in the legal process."

If Stein does get the go-ahead for his plan, the new restaurant would be located in the town's Events Square. Another big name chef, Pierre Koffman, could also be set to create new restaurant jobs. He is currently looking to open a new eatery in London's West End, with Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Chelsea and South Kensington being the possible locations.

Travelodge unveils hotel jobs boost

The UK is set for a hotel jobs boost after Travelodge announced new expansion plans. According to the firm, it is set to open seven new hotels in the coming weeks at sites in Liverpool, Macclesfield, Newquay, Bournemouth, Edinburgh, Norwich and Farnborough. It is expected that this will lead to the creation of around 150 hotel jobs.


According to Grant Hearn, chief executive of the firm, these positions will be filled by local people. He said: "Despite a tough year for the hotel market, we have continued to grow and offer opportunities nationwide. Our success in recruiting from the long-term unemployed is something that we are particularly proud of and are committed to continuing."

A total of £22 million will be invested in the new sites and they will contain a total of 575 rooms.

Yesterday, it was revealed that Scarborough could be set for a hotel jobs boost as plans are currently afoot to convert the town's disused jail so it can house visitors.