Dunboyne Castle - the new meeting place for fans
November 30, 2006
Meath may not have had many days out in Croke Park this year but when they had, the new Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa proved a popular meeting point for players and supporters. The Hotel has close links with the Menolly Group, who became the new sponsors of Meath football teams in 2006.
The past 12 months have seen many changes in Meath. Undoubtedly the biggest change was the appointment of Eamonn Barry as senior manager in succession to Sean Boylan, who stepped down after a remarkably successful 23-year reign. Barry was then replaced by Colm Coyle.
Kepak's long association with Meath football also came to an end, paving the way for the Menolly Group to become the new sponsors of the county football team. The Menolly Group is the parent company of the Fylan Collection, of which the new Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa is an integral part.
When agreeing to sponsor the Meath football team, Menolly Group owner and avid GAA fan Seamus Ross envisaged the Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa becoming a rendezvous for Meath supporters en route or returning from Croke Park. And this has certainly proven to be the case.
"We are proud and delighted to be associated with Meath GAA," enthuses Declan Curtis, manager of Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa.
"When the opportunity to sponsor the Meath football team arose, Seamus was very keen to get involved. He loves the GAA and even though he's a Longford man, he's thrilled to have such a strong association with Meath.
"As part of the agreement, The Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa now caters for the Meath footballers on their way to and from Croke Park. Wherever the players go, the supporters generally follow and we are now very much the meeting point for fans going to and returning from Dublin.
"As a GAA fan myself, it is exciting to be dealing with the players on the day of big games. We look forward to having a long association with the Meath team and we'll help and support them as much as possible."
Given its close proximity to the capital, Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa is ideally located from a Meath supporter's point of view. Unless there is serious traffic delays, the journey to Croke Park shouldn't take any more than 20 minutes.
"A big selling point of ours is our closeness to Dublin. We're only 10 or 11 miles from the city, we're essentially the gateway to Co. Meath, and the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre is only five minutes' away," Declan explains.
"Despite the large number of fans who stop off here, the players are assured of privacy before they head off to Croke Park. If they didn't have this privacy, they mightn't be able to focus properly on the task in hand.
"Afterwards, they come back for the post-match meal and supporters may then get the opportunity to mingle with them."
The Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa is fast gaining a reputation as an excellent venue for weekend breaks for GAA teams from all over the country. The Longford team enjoyed a weekend break at the hotel during their extended championship run last summer, and Declan got the chance to meet up with Longford manager and fellow Carlow man Luke Dempsey.
"My brother Padraig and Luke's brother Brendan use to sit together in school. Luke spent the early part of his life in Carlow before moving to Kildare and then on to Westmeath. My home club is Tinryland, which is situated a few miles outside Carlow town.
He continues: "I was naturally disappointed when Meath beat Carlow in the All-Ireland qualifiers this year down in Dr Cullen Park, but as a Carlow man working in Dunboyne, we couldn't have gone out to a better team!"
Built on the grounds of Dunboyne Castle which dates back to the 1700s, Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa opened last April with the creation of 140 jobs. The opening coincided with the Easter Racing Festival at nearby Fairyhouse. Seamus Ross, whose son Seamus and daughter Grainne are also involved in Menolly Group, had double reason to celebrate when his horse Ross River won the Four Year plus Handicap Hurdle.
Exuding elegance, opulence, relaxation and service so discreet you barely notice, Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa consists of 145 bedrooms, eight meeting rooms, a banquet room and a large conference room capable of accommodating up to 1,500 delegates. Other features of the hotel include the Terrace Lounge, which overlooks the hotel's magnificent gardens, the Cellar Bar, the Ivy Restaurant and The Venue exhibition centre.
Guests can also relax at the Seoid Spa which consists of 18 treatment rooms and a hydrotherapy pool. It is a true oasis for relaxation and rejuvenation.
Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa is part of the Fylan Collection, which is Ireland's newest group of hotels. The 5-star Dylan Hotel was due to open in Baggot Street in September, while the 19-room Mount Hybla Hotel is scheduled to open in Castleknock in the springtime. All three hotels have been developed by the Menolly Group
Menolly Homes is the flagship company within the Menolly Group. It has been long recognised as one of Ireland's leading development companies. Combining experience and innovation with exacting quality standards has enabled the Lucan-based building firm to maintain this strong market position over the years.
Menolly Homes' work can be seen throughout Dublin and includes some of the most striking new homes to have graced the Dublin skyline over the past two decades. The company's portfolio of proven developments includes a range of top of the market houses and apartments.
Current developments in the Dublin area include: Farmleigh Woods, Castleknock; The Coast, Baldoyle; Beaupark, Baldoyle; Phibblestown; Thornfield Square, Clondalkin. Menolly's success is built on being able to provide quality homes at affordable prices, a policy that has never let their buying public down.
2006 won't be remembered as one of Meath's better years, with defeats to Wexford and Laois putting paid to their hopes of championship glory. However, Declan is confident that their fortunes will improve next year.
"Meath are never down for too long and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they returned to their best form in the next year or two. Eamonn Barry is rebuilding the team at the moment and I'm sure you'll see some of the new faces coming to the fore in the not too distant future."
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