Cong community delighted with Ashford Castle sale

JEWEL IN THE CROWN?Ashford Castle’s long term future has been secured after last week’s purchase.

Cong community gives a warm welcome to Ashford Castle sale


Relief as 160 jobs are secured

Ciara Galvin
ciaragalvin@mayonews.ie

The people of Cong were delighted last week after it was confirmed that the 365-acre Ashford Castle estate was purchased by South African hotel group Red Carnation Hotels for €20 million. News of the purchase put paid to rumours that Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was planning to buy the luxury castle sparked by his daughter’s recent stay at the hotel.
The hotel was placed in receivership 18 months ago by its owner Gerry Barrett, who purchased the property in 2008 for €50 million. Contracts were exchanged for the iconic castle on Tuesday last, with staff briefed on the purchase later the same day. The sale has secured the 160 jobs in the area. Since going on the international market in October 2012, the iconic estate received more than 200 inquiries from potential bidders across the UK, Europe, Far East, US and Australia.
Speaking to The Mayo News about the purchase, well-known Cong resident Ray McHugh said the people of Cong were ‘very happy with the news’.
“I’ve been speaking with management and they’ve said that the owners want to be involved with the community, which is a good thing,” said Mr McHugh. The local man added that the recent filming of American pilot series ‘Reign’ might have helped secure a buyer.
“The shooting of the pilot brought back a feeling of ‘The Quiet Man’ to the area and the resulting publicity gave the hotel another bit of a profile. It’s good for the area and everyone’s delighted,” said McHugh, adding that a lot of local staff were relieved at the announcement.
Local councillor Damien Ryan, who has worked at Ashford for more than 20 years, said that he believed that the new owner, a world-renowned hotel-chain operator, would treat the estate as a ‘prestigious property’ worth investing in.
“To develop the tourism of the area, it’s important that a buyer of such calibre like Red Carnation Hotels would see Ashford as a future and reinvest in it to develop it further,” he said.
Commenting on the purchase, Ashford Castle’s new owner Beatrice Tollman, President and Founder of Red Carnation Hotels, said: “We are thrilled to have Ashford Castle as part of our collection and welcome the whole team to the Red Carnation family. Like the rest of our hotels, Ashford Castle is an iconic property, in a unique location and with a reputation for luxury and excellence, and we are delighted that we will be bringing some of Red Carnation’s signature touches to it.”
It has not been confirmed whether the new owners will carry out an earlier-devised master plan that proposed the development of 13 penthouse bedrooms, 30 residential lodges and the upgrade of the nine-hole golf course to an 18-hole facility.
Red Carnation Hotels is an award-winning collection of five- and four-star family-run boutique hotels in London, Dorset, Guernsey, Geneva, Florida, South Africa and now Ireland.
It is part of The Travel Corporation, an international, family-run travel group now in its fourth generation.

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