Hotel college a real diamond

EDITORIAL

SHANNON College of Hotel Management is one of the great success stories of County Clare and is a byword for excellence in the hotel business at an international level. Graduates of the Shannon academy, which is a recognised college of the National University of Ireland, hold top management positions in some of the best-known hotels in countries all over the world.

The college, which this week celebrates its 60th anniversary, owes its existence to the imagination and drive of one of Ireland’s foremost innovators, the late Dr Brendan O’Regan. The Clare man who, using Shannon Airport as a focal point, pioneered duty free shopping, the Shannon Free Industrial Zone, Shannon Development and so many other cutting edge initiatives in the Mid-West, saw vast potential in setting up a hotel management college on his own doorstep. Even in retirement he could not stand still; establishing and playing an active role in Cooperation Ireland and the Irish Peace Institute.
Shannon College motto, Commitment to Excellence, says it all about the standards Dr O’Regan set for himself in this and every other project he advanced. Drawing on his experience of training and working in hotels on the continent, Dr O’Regan decided the Shannon college should be based on the Swiss model, with professional internships a key element of the programme.
Shannon College is one of the world’s leading hotel colleges due to the successful combination of a business degree with professional hotel management education. Since the first class of 18 students joined in 1951, the college has grown to accept 100 students each year. The college now offers two level-eight degree programmes (BBS and BComm) in business studies and international hotel management.
This year, the college has 400 students, 200 of them Irish and the other half from 25 countries across the globe. The intake is limited to 100 every year, so competition for admission is at a premium.
Current students are undertaking professional work placements in 100 hotels across 16 countries with global hotel companies such as Four Seasons, Jumeirah International, Marriott International, Radisson Blu Hotels, Ritz Carlton, Hilton, Trump Hotels and Starwood International.
Shannon College’s excellent reputation in the hotel and tourism industry worldwide is evidenced by the fact that over the past 60 years, it has maintained a 100% employment record for graduates. This statistic is particularly impressive given the general downturn experienced by the hotel industry in Ireland and many other countries in recent years.
As high-profile graduates prepare to revisit their alma mater on Friday for the diamond jubilee celebrations, college director, Philip J Smyth has called for an appropriate memorial to its founder, who died in February 2008.
“An appropriate dedication to the late Dr O’Regan would serve as encouragement to entrepreneurs across the region to never be afraid to think big. In the current challenging economic environment, we need to take inspiration from Dr O’Regan’s incredible dynamic and vision because his entrepreneurial spirit is exactly what’s needed now. Dr O’Regan was fearless when it came to trying new things. All you have to do is look at his legacy across the Mid-West region and much further beyond,” he said.
Mr Smyth said if Dr O’Regan was here today, he would acknowledge the downturn but press ahead regardless. “Probably the greatest legacy Dr O’Regan gave to the region was the belief in making the unlikely happen,” he said.
While Dr O’Regan has been honoured with a memorial in his native Sixmilebridge, Mr Smyth believes it would be appropriate to have a statue commissioned or a street or road carrying his name. This idea has been floated in other quarters so with added impetus, it could gain wider support.
Sometimes people have difficulties with the criteria used to decide whether or not a person should be honoured in a public forum. There should be no quibble with Dr Brendan O’Regan being so honoured. So many in the Mid-West owe a debt of gratitude to him for the jobs in tourism and industry that have flowed from his expansive ideas.

Promoting good design

VISITORS to County Clare observe not only the scenery but also our landmark structures, such as castles and churches, in addition to commercial and domestic dwellings in rural and urban areas. We often think of older buildings as being of particular interest but newer structures are every bit as important in forming a complete picture of the county.
We should be every bit as anxious about having our county looking its best for our own appreciation as for visitors, who might visit the Banner County just once. A new design and conservation award scheme launched this week by Clare County Council gets to the heart of this.
The 2011 awards scheme follows from and builds on a similar scheme held by Clare County Council in 2005. Buildings completed or refurbished in County Clare between January 1, 2005 and April 30 this year are eligible. Nominations or submissions will be open to any owner, designer, contractor, community group or other member of the public.
“The main objectives of the scheme will be to foster and reward excellence in the built environment and to raise public awareness of good design and conservation,” Mayor of Clare Christy Curtin said.
Good quality design of the built environment is a legacy for future generations is the message from Mairéad O’Donovan, administrative officer, Clare County Council.
“It is recognised that there are a number of awards at a national level in the area of architecture and it is not intended to compete with or duplicate these but rather to reward at a more local level,” she added.
An independent panel will judge entries in 12 categories. The assessment criteria will include the building’s contribution to the quality of the built environment, build and workmanship quality, quality of professional design, functionality, sustainability, originality and innovation in approach and, most importantly, the extent to which the entry may serve as a role model.
The council also wants to get the public to realise that good design does not have to be expensive or exclusive and should be accessible to all.