Tag Archives: John Burke

THE Armada Hotel has already filled half of the 100 new roles it advertised in a high profile campaign started at the beginning of winter and the process continues. It plans to have a €3 million expansion and renovation completed early next month, with a new 90-seater restaurant, bar, private dining area and dedicated space for wedding arrivals with panoramic views. Speaking about the progress of the redevelopment, hotel owner John Burke said Covid has made things difficult, but it is on schedule. “After dealing with pre-Christmas challenges caused by restriction changes and issues around staffing due to close Covid contacts, we began the New Year facing into our renovation and expansion programme. “On day one, we were down to 8 staff out of a team of 24 due to Covid. We now have up to 90 people a day on site at different times and the contractors are constantly making arrangements and juggling schedules based on resources available. “It …

WITH a €3 million redevelopment of the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point coming, owner John Burke is looking to fill 100 positions and is also trying to offer his staff working conditions far better than what one normally sees in the sector.  While the hospitality industry has often been associated with tough working environments, modest pay and unsociable hours, Mr Burke, who famously climbed Mount Everest in 2017, says he wants to offer his workers some of the perks that are associated with certain multinational companies. “A lot of multinationals have brought certain conditions and perks to the employment scene in Ireland and maybe it’s time for the hospitality sector to start looking to them, seeing what they’re providing and wherever possible to try and introduce that.” “That’s where we’re at now, looking at the best employers that are out there, what are they doing and how can we bring that into the hospitality sector,” he said this week. In …

A WEST Clare hotel has today announced its intention to create more than 100 new jobs to be filled by February 2022 as part of €3m redevelopment plan. To fill the roles, in a sector hampered by difficulties attracting staff, the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point has set up a recruitment agency, complete with its own beach hut. The renovation project which was placed on hold last year due to the pandemic will see the delivery of a large extension housing ‘Aileens’ – a brand new 90 seater restaurant with its own 100% sustainable energy kitchen. There will also be a new ocean bar with an “interactive cocktail space”; a private dining area for parties of up to 12 guests; and a dedicated space for wedding arrivals with feature bar and panoramic views. The remainder of the renovation works will take place in January when the hotel is closed to guests. To facilitate the work, the hotel has launched a …

CLARE was showcased to the nation on Wednesday when RTÉ’s popular daytime Today show broadcast live from Ennis with host Dáithí Ó Sé. The production team based themselves in the Old Ground Hotel during filming, travelling to the four corners to highlight the best of the Banner. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Dáithí revealed that he has a soft spot for the county. “We come to Clare a lot, last Sunday we took a spin back to Spanish Point, it’s beautiful back there. Rita’s parents both come from there so we are very familiar with West Clare and often come to Ennis shopping. “It’s great to be here and get a feel of the town being back again, there’s a great buzz. “You’re very lucky in Clare. You are on the Wild Atlantic Way, have the Cliff of Moher and the Burren, towns like Ennis, the trad music. There’s a great balance, you get it all here.” While in Clare Dáithí met with …

MILTOWN Malbay and the wider West Clare community continue to count the cost of the cancellation of an event whose economic value has been set at between €5 and €10 million annually. The Willie Clancy Summer School, whose cultural value is probably impossible to estimate, is among the casualties of the coronavirus restrictions. Its absence, on what would have been its 48th birthday, will be felt well beyond the Banner county. This year’s event had been expected to attract 1500 students  between July 4 and 12, with many thousands more attending for sessions, talks, seminars, dancing, concerts and the general festival atmosphere. Administrative Director Harry Hughes described the cancellation of this year’s Scoil Samhradh as “disappointing but inevitable” in the context of Covid-19. “We had been hoping things might improve in terms of the virus, but that wasn’t to be,” he remarked. “We are very disappointed for all of our students and tutors who attend year after year and the cancellation …

Green is the colour throughout County Clare this weekend, as we celebrate the feast day of our patron saint, St Patrick. A festival atmosphere is evident in  town and village, with parades showcasing our traditions, culture and music, as well as everyday life in farming, business and industry.  Of course, no parade would be complete without colourful characters representing local, national and even international figures. The county’s main parade in Ennis attracted a huge crowd, which stretched all along the route from Áras Contae an Chláir on New Road to O’Connell Street.  Mayor of Ennis Paul Murphy and grand marshall John Burke, the Everest climb hero, led the parade in a horse drawn carriage.

Members of the Clare Association in Dublin will break new ground this weekend, when, for the first time in the long history of the association, they will be participating in the St Patrick’s Day parade in Ennis on Saturday. They will carry their own banner and will  travel in a  vintage Mercedes car, placed at their disposal by Pat Foudy Tyre Sales, Ennis. The grand marshal for the parade, which will start at New Road at 11am, will be Spanish Point hotelier John Burke, who has been selected by the Clare Association as their Clare Person of the Year for 2018. They recognised his achievement of being the first Clare man to climb Mount Everest and his efforts to provide and promote mental health wellness programmes for young people through his charity, Elevate. He will be presented with his award at the association’s annual dinner dance on April 28 in Dublin. This weekend will be busy for the Clare Association in Dublin. On this …

John Burke, mountaineer and founder of the charity Elevate, has been named Grand Marshal of this year’s Ennis St Patrick’s Day parade. Mayor of Ennis Councillor Paul Murphy today said that John is receiving the honour in recognition of his efforts to bring wellness programmes to young people in Clare, as well as his achievement of becoming the first Clare person to summit Mount Everest in 2017. John will join Mayor Murphy in leading the parade in a horse-drawn carriage, which will be followed by approximately 50 groups representing the many aspects of life in Ennis and County Clare. Mayor Murphy commented, “During my term as Mayor, I have committed to promoting positive mental health initiatives and individuals and groups who are working in the area. John through his own remarkable personal achievements and through Elevate is playing a key part in ensuring that the most vulnerable in society are protected and supported. That is why I am delighted he …