With as many as 13 meeting rooms, including a stunning 1000-seat theatre, the Fairways Hotel has forged a reputation as one of Ireland's principal conference centres - but there are a number of strings to the Fairways' bow. Situated just outside Dundalk on the Castlebellingham Road, the Fairways Hotel is one of the most recognisable venues in the country. With a vast conference theatre designed to cater for 1000 delegates - the largest facility of its kind in the north-east region - bolstered by eight smaller meeting rooms also in theatre-style, the hotel has forged a reputation as one of the chief meeting centres in the country. Indeed, the Fairways can cater for meeting-room requirements regardless of size, catering for any number of delegates from 1 to 1000, with a total of 13 meeting rooms, including two dedicated boardrooms, all of which can be specially configured to the customer's special requirements. All aspects of modern business are catered for, with high speed wireless internet access available in all meeting rooms, a business centre available to guests which provides photocopying, fax and computers with internet access and complimentary audio-visual equipment available on request. Several high-profile organisations staged their annual conferences at the Fairways in 2008, with the Green Party, the first cross-border Football Association of Ireland/Irish Football Association joint coaching convention and the Citywide Family Support Network among those to benefit from the hotel's expert hospitality in the conferencing sector. The Fairways is also suitable for all sorts of tradeshows, with a recent conference of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists showcasing the latest in physio equipment and the XPO convention exhibiting the latest breakthroughs in the field of energy, while the hotel also stages its own wedding fair each year. The Fairways is much more than just a conference and trade hotel, however. With the capacity to cater for banquets of up to 500 people and almost 50 years of experience in wedding hospitality, it is also a popular choice for a couple's big day, with the Library and Táin suites - each adjacent to their own beautifully landscaped gardens - catering for wedding parties large and small. In addition to traditional wedding fare, the hotel is now approved for Civil Ceremony weddings, and was proud to have hosted, in April 2008, the first Civil Ceremony wedding to be held outside a Registry Office in County Louth. Situated approximately half-way between Belfast and Dublin, the hotel is also a popular destination to break up long road journeys, with a special offer room-only rate of 69 from Sunday to Thursday. It's also ideal for a short stop, with a bar menu available until 10pm every night and the Walnut Restaurant offering a carvery lunch seven days a week as well as a specialised a la carte menu each evening. For those keen on a longer stay, the Fairways is a perfect base to explore the north east region - as well as priding itself on boasting the best rates in its stretch of the coastline in one of 100 tastefully decorated bedrooms. Ranging from standard and deluxe to luxurious and spacious suites, all rooms offer high speed wireless internet access to cater for the needs of the business client and casual web surfer alike. The picturesque seaside village of Blackrock, which offers a wide selection of restaurants and pubs on the seafront as well as windsurfing, parasailing and kitesurfing for watersports enthusiasts, is just two kilometres away, while attractions such as the Mourne mountains, a haven for committed hill-walkers young and old, and the beautiful Carlingford Lough are easily accessible. The hotel has linked with up Felda, the adjacent health fitness club and spa, to offer extensive leisure facilities to all guests over the age of 16. Whether it's a stay-fit session in the state-of-the-art gym, a dip in the pool or some relaxation in the sauna or steam-room, Felda has it all, while there are also a variety of spa treatments available on request. There are also strong links between the hotel and the sporting community, with Race & Stay packages offering accommodation and admission to Dundalk's hugely successful new all-weather horse-racing arena, which has made Friday nights its own since the facility was opened amid much fanfare in 2007. And as the Fairways seeks new ways to expand its burgeoning portfolio, catering for club and county Gaelic games sides has emerged as a key element in the venue's future plans. Despite the outwardly amateur ethos of the GAA, at all levels from junior to senior an increasingly professional approach has been evident as club and county sides attempt to gain a decisive edge in their bid to become top dogs. And Fairways General Manager Eva Beirne feels that the hotel's expertise in catering for the business fraternity could be perfectly suited to maximising the potential of GAA sides. She says: "We have had several teams come to us to take advantage of our meeting rooms for team-building exercises, and that's something that we hope to grow in the coming years. "As well as meeting-rooms, we offer excellent pre- and post-match services for club and county teams, who can come to us for breakfasts such as cereal, fruit and juices on the morning of a game and return for the post-match food - and, hopefully, celebrations - in the evening. "We are delighted to have been able to cater for a number of football, hurling and camogie teams in recent times, and we're very enthusiastic about broadening that aspect of our business in the future. "And if any club is planning to spend a weekend in the Dundalk area, we can certainly put together a package for them to include accommodation and their post-match meal." Tweet

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