Tag Archives: hydro hotel

HUNDREDS of people fleeing war-ravaged Ukraine have received a cead míle fáilte in North Clare as community groups, organisations and local representatives have come together to ensure a co-ordinated welcome for the new arrivals. More than 500 Ukrainians have arrived in Lisdoonvarna with a further 100 staying in Ballyvaughan in local hotels. This isn’t the first time that Lisdoonvarna has played host to the people of Ukraine as the town has fond memories of welcoming the Ukrainian Special Olympics delegation in 2003. More than 200 Ukrainian refugees who are now staying in the Hydro Hotel in Lisdoonvarna this week called for world leaders to stop the war. The refugees who arrived at the hotel last week have called for peace saying, “All Ukrainians and all people of the world, one peace now. Please stop this senseless war. World leaders help us to stop this war. Kindness and compassion to all humanity.” Hotel owner Marcus White told The Clare Champion that …

IN CORK parlance, Billy Murphy might known a ‘scobe’, but Shane Casey, the actor who plays him in hit comedy Young Offenders, will be on his best behaviour when he visits North Clare at the weekend. Shane shot to fame in the Cork-based comedy and became a cult hero after serenading a hijacked bus with a blistering cover of The Frank and Walter’s ‘After All’. He will be in Lisdoonvarna on Saturday night (February 12) to officially launch the new teenage disco at The Hydro Hotel. The pandemic put a spanner in the works for the planned disco back in 2020 and organisers are thrilled that it’s all systems go. “We are delighted that Shane was available for this launch –  we had to postpone this event in March, two years ago, when the pandemic hit – so we are delighted it’s back,” said Marcus White, Managing Director of the Hydro. “There is a huge pent-up demand for teenage discos from young people …

September has been the busiest month in a decade for Lisdoonvarna, according to local business people, with one hotelier highlighting last Saturday, in particular, as “well up on last year”. After eight years, the Spa Wells reopened this season and many are attributing increased visitor numbers in part to that. “We are getting about 200 people a day,” said Paddy Dunne, chairman of Lisdoonvarna Fáilte, the voluntary committee behind the reopening. “This committee only took over in January. The numbers are more than we expected. Word of mouth spread rapidly and we are getting good visitor numbers here every day. There is nothing like this anywhere else. There is this hall which holds 350 in the Spa Wells itself and then the Pavillion, which holds 650 and it is owned by the community and run by the community and everything goes back into the facilities we have here,” he continued. “This has been the biggest festival in 10 years and everyone would …

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny led tributes to the former Fine Gael TD Jim White who died in hospital on Tuesday night aged 76. Although born and reared in Ballyshannon in County Donegal, Mr White had strong links with Clare having bought the Hyrdo Hotel in Lisdoonvarna in 1974. This was the foundation for the development of Whites Hotel Group which now owns the Imperial Hotel, the King Thomond and the Burren Castle Hotel in North Clare as well as hotels in Tralee and Donegal. According to his son Marcus, Jim was involved in the running of the businesses up to his admission to hospital five weeks ago. Marcus described his father’s passing as ‘dignified’ and paid tribute to the staff of the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin for the care they provided. He visited Lisdoonvarna before his mobility was reduced last year. An Taoiseach Enda Kenny recalled Jim as “a man of enormous positivity and generosity with huge credibility in …