Hilton's Ireland Expansion
Two new Hilton hotels are set to open in Ireland, in Dublin and Limerick
The name Kilmainham in Dublin used to mean just one thing - the notorious Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham is where some of Ireland's most notorious political prisoners were held, from when it opened in 1796 till its eventual closure in 1924. The last prisoner there was, ironically, Eamon de Valera, who would later become Prime Minster and President of a free Ireland. Kilmainham Goal is now one of Dublin's most fascinating, if grim, tourist attractions.
From early 2007, though, there is going to be rather more comfortable accommodation, by way of the Dublin Kilmainham Hilton. It will have 120 rooms over five floors, a brasserie restaurant and bar, a large gym and a hydrotherapy pool. It's all part of the Chocolate Factory development, breathing new life on this part of Dublin, where you can also find the wonderful Irish Museum of Modern Art. Here they have works by such 20th-century greats as Pablo Picasso and Modigliani, and into the 21st century with names like Damien Hirst and Gilbert & George. They say the Celtic Tiger has slowed down, but there's obviously lots of life left in it yet.
The Limerick Hilton will be even bigger, with 184 rooms spread over seven floors, with one entire floor devoted to executive travelers, with its own Executive Lounge. There will also be a health club, pool, gym, beauty spa, bar, café-bar, gourmet restaurant and function and wedding facilities. While they're obviously hoping to appeal to the business traveler, there's plenty in and around Limerick, Ireland's fourth largest city, to appeal to the leisure traveler too.
Limerick's Hunt Museum has a superb collection of Celtic and medieval treasures, and paintings from Ireland and all over Europe, including Renoir and Picasso. There's the Norman King John's Castle, alongside which Castle Lane looks much as it did in the 18th and 19th centuries. Limerick's fame was boosted in 1996, and not to everyone's liking locally, when it was the setting for Frank McCourt's book Angela's Ashes, which told of his childhood in the city's slums. If you enjoyed the book or the film, you'll want to go to Mungret Abbey, which dates back to the 6th century and where Angela's ashes were actually scattered.
All in all, these two hotels when they open will provide jobs for 250 people, and take the number of Hiltons in the Emerald Isle up to nine. Perhaps they should have a competition when they open the Limerick Hilton. Altogether now:
'There was a hotel called the Hilton...'
Read about being a vagabond on holiday in Ireland by clicking here.
