Gregan’s Castle scoops top award

A North Clare hotel has been awarded one of the Irish hospitality industry’s highest accolades.
Gregan’s Castle Hotel, Ballyvaughan was presented with the prestigious Hotel and Catering Review Gold Medal Award for Excellence 2010 at a ceremony in the Shelbourne Hotel on Monday.
Owned and operated by husband and wife team, Simon Haden and Frederieke McMurray, Gregan’s Castle won the top industry award at the 22nd Annual Hotel and Catering Review Gold Medal Awards.
The country house hotel triumphed ahead of hundreds of its peers in the industry to win the coveted award after scooping the hotly-contested Gold Medal Award for Country Houses and Guesthouses earlier in the night.
“We were utterly shocked. These awards are from your peers and they know what they are talking about. We were in a group of very hardworking, good businesses so it was a total shock to take home the overall award.
“We are a small team but everyone in the hotel has developed a pride in the place and is working towards something. You hear so much doom and gloom but we are saying to hell with that and there is no reason to let standards slip,” said Ms McMurray.
What makes Gregan’s a frequent award winner is their ethos, she believes.
“We never did the big investment in a spa like a lot of places did, we never could so it was a necessity to concentrate on quality. We know what we are and have stayed faithful to that,” she explained.
The Gold Medal Awards are recognised as the industry’s most rigorous and competitive independent awards programme.
“Gregan’s Castle Hotel in Ballyvaughan was the clear choice for this year’s supreme Gold Medal Award for Excellence,” said Sarah Grennan, editor of Hotel and Catering Review and chair of the jury.
“Our expert team of industry judges voted unanimously for Gregan’s to win the top title, as it has consistently proved itself to be Ireland’s most delightful country retreat.
“Members of the Gold Medal Awards jury treasure this jewel of the Burren, with judges describing Gregan’s Castle as a world class country house hotel, in recognition of its multi-award winning cuisine, sumptuous surroundings and warm and welcoming service. Gregan’s Castle is a beacon for the Irish tourism industry,” she continued.
As well as the supreme award, a total of 14 category awards were presented, including a further award for a Clare establishment in the form of a Gold Medal Award for Casual Dining, to Aidan McGrath and Kate Sweeney of the Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna.
“Local foodies and visitors to the Banner County flock to this gourmet haven in Ireland’s matchmaking capital of Lisdoonvarna, and it is little wonder.
“Chef/proprietor Aidan McGrath’s award winning cuisine has firmly planted Lisdoonvarna on the culinary map and his celebrated modern Irish cuisine pays homage to the best of local and seasonal West of Ireland produce,” Ms Grennan commented.