{"id":28116,"date":"2023-05-25T10:43:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T14:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=28116"},"modified":"2023-05-30T10:50:33","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T14:50:33","slug":"richly-steeped-in%e2%80%88irish-history-and-tradition-castlemartyr-resort-is-a-must-visit-destination-in-co-cork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=28116","title":{"rendered":"Richly Steeped In\u2008Irish History And Tradition, Castlemartyr Resort Is A Must Visit Destination In Co. Cork"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Castlemartyr Resort Golf Course\u2019s Ninth Hole<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Barry Coughlan<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNestled amid East Cork\u2019s woodlands, the luxury 5-Star Castlemartyr Resort is a destination richly steeped in Irish history and tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSituated on 220 acres, Castlemartyr Resort consists of a grand 18th century country manor house that sits adjacent to the ruins of an 800-year-old-castle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the blurb to greet online viewers seeking information on a resort hotel set on the outskirts of a quiet village on the main road between Cork (20 miles) and Waterford (55 miles).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a storied history that includes Strongbow, Walter Raleigh, the Knights Templar and more, the Castlemartyr Resort was officially opened for guests in 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years the grounds and buildings have been tastefully updated, magnificently restored and elegantly enhanced to offer 108 guest rooms and suites, along with 36 luxury residences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And since heavy investment was made over the last couple of years especially, it has taken off in the home and international tourist markets as an almost must-visit destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That interest won\u2019t surely be for food alone but the Michelin Star recently awarded a new dining experience within the hotel has already proved to be a huge draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food enthusiasts will, in fact, be delighted with the variety of dining options at Castlemartyr under the direction of Executive Head Chef Kevin Burke, but the 12-course tasting menu curated by Chef Patron Vincent Crepel at a newly created Terre Restaurant is certainly to be the jewel in the crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That magnificent achievement (just six months after opening) has put Castlemartyr in the news and right to the top of that prized bucket-list for food enthusiasts at home and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, while Terra has grabbed the recent headlines, this Castlemartyr success story has generally been one of quiet determination and studious investment in virtually every aspect of the business – all under the under the careful control and experienced eye of genial General Manager Brendan Comerford, who knows his Cork and the luxury hotel business like few others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In relation to how the Castlemartyr Resort is run, my recent visit was telling. Just to set the scene, the hotel employs 280 people from all over the globe, but there is also a big local presence of people that take pride in their patch of Cork County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The General Manager was stood in the entrance hall awaiting the departure of guests to wish them safe travels \u2013 and he directed me to the Canopy Brasserie and Bar with the suggestion I introduce myself and wait for his return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What transpired there was an engaging and enlightening conversation with staffer Fiadh Little, a team leader who enthused about her work in Castlemartyr and of the effort made by the entire staff to provide help and information to guests and visitors alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t a text-book conversation either and, if I didn\u2019t know already, I learned from her basic details of a number of tourist attractions in close proximity to the resort that simply have to be experienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Castlemartyr Resort\u2019s General Manager Brendan Comerford<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I also quickly got the vibe that the relationship between staff and management is very strong. My initial words from Brendan Comerford also revealed the feeling was mutual, that this is as close as perfect the example of a team game!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, it is a team and of course we encourage everyone to go out and experience what the guests might want or should get to see in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe staff has been to the Jameson experience, to Fota Island Wildlife Park, to Spike Island as examples, to everything that\u2019s going on around in the area really. You can\u2019t beat staff having that knowledge and we actively encourage everyone to do that in order to be able to pass on real information to our guests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having trained in his early career from 1997 with Fitzpatricks\u2019 Hotels, the fact that teamwork is a high priority shouldn’t come as a surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brendan Comerford went on to hone his skills in a variety of hotels, most of them close to his home town of Cork. He counts his time in the Oriel House Ballincollig, Cork, The Charleville Park Hotel, the Maryborough Hotel in Cork and Clarion in Limerick as thoroughly enjoyable, and these led to a bigger challenge when he took on the role of General Manager at Fota Island Resort, a post he held for three years before moving on to Castlemartyr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has been in this area of east Cork since 2017 but concedes that the development at Castlemartyr Resort had stalled until the arrival on board of current owners Singapore-based Stanley Quek and Peng Loh in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purchase added to an Irish portfolio of Mayrange Hospitality that includes Sheen Falls, Kenmare, the Trinity Townhouse Hotel in Dublin city center and more recently the Tulfarris Hotel and Golf Resort in Blessington, County Wicklow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rightly at ease with the luxurious but homely surroundings that have been enhanced of late, he noted: \u201cWe\u2019re very nearly at the end of a $9.7 million investment package. The new shareholders took over at the end of July 2021 and we\u2019ve moved at pace since they arrived; there has been investment in several areas of the hotel, in rooms, suites and public areas, and on the golf course, from paths to car park, to bunkers, and this year we start work on drainage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In itself, the Castlemartyr golf experience won\u2019t have golfers queuing up to challenge themselves. It\u2019s not a bucket-list course, as admitted by the General Manager, but it does provide a non-food type of tasting menu for Irish, European and International golf enthusiasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained: \u201cIt\u2019s a links style golf course which means we\u2019re flat and low; up to now we lacked investment but the members are seeing the benefits already. We will be in a much better position going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re what you call a good example of offering a course where you can play a nice round of golf with your mates in a little bit more relaxed environment; it\u2019s not hugely challenging, it\u2019s low, it\u2019s fast, easy to get around, but we suggest it can be used as a base to go out and play those iconic Irish courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd, it is a course that was designed by Ron Kirby who also designed the Old Head of Kinsale. He (Ron Kirby) still visits, and so we would have a lot of synergy with courses in the area that would be considered bucket-list courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe golf course is, however, very important in terms of attracting clientele to the resort; first of all we do have the membership, we do have the local membership, there are green fees coming into the course but it is only part of the resort experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Afternoon tea at Castlemartyr Resort<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just coming to stay in the hotel, it\u2019s what you can do when you stay here; it\u2019s not a city center property where you can easily go shopping, although you can do that of course, so we want people to come here and experience everything we have on offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have improved the golf course, we\u2019ve added a driving range, we\u2019ve added tennis courts, we do kayaking on the lake; we offer activities such as archery, clay pigeon shooting, Children\u2019s camps and more, whilst we also offer our own traditional pub, The Hunted Hog, (a short walk away in the village) to give guests a unique experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m back from a trip to the USA, I would say the American visitors would find it easy to fall in love with the product we have here (Castle from 1210 and Manor House from 1715), while we (also) have the modern contemporary side of the hotel to provide a really very high quality product in all aspects of the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up is to take advantage of the quality on offer by ensuring that the resort positions itself in what Brendan Comerford described as \u201cthat luxury travel space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, while expecting more and more international visitors, there is no danger he or his team will take their eye off the ball of opportunity in the domestic market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook, we already place a huge amount of importance on corporate clients, on the companies that book events with us; we have a hugely important wedding business and we also pride ourselves in attracting Irish couples and Irish families to enjoy the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe simply want to enhance that with overseas visitors from the international markets; particularly look to the American market and to many areas where there are huge connections to and interest in Ireland. The feedback from my recent trip to the USA has really been absolutely positive and very encouraging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s all for the future, but even now, bookings are strong. \u201cWe\u2019re tracking in the right direction,\u201d said Brendan Comerford, pointing out that management and shareholders are very happy with the trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that, and with the conclusive evidence of a happy workforce, Castlemartyr resort can look forward to a very good 2023 and a prosperous future. <\/p>\n

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