The four-star resort was put on the market in April on behalf of the liquidators of the Irish Bank Resolution Company and Australian-based construction company Brady Group, picked up the 300-acre property for a reported €30 million.
Redhills native Brady, who emigrated to Australia in 1973, confirmed the sale to the Anglo Celt.
“I was in Ireland in July this year and I played golf at Slieve Russell and heard it was up for sale, so I made enquires with the agent in Dublin, and we started the process,” said Brady, who owns five hotels in Melbourne.
“It’s a beautiful property with a great golf course – the only one in Ireland with PGA National status – and a great hotel. The local angle was part of the decision.”
The Mount Juliet Estate in Kilkenny has sold for €46.5m.
Mount Juliet in Co Kilkenny has also changed hands with Barry English, the founder of data centre developer Winthrop Technologies, in the process of completing a purchase from Tetrarch for an estimated €46.5 million.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission said it has been notified of the proposed purchase by Tipberry Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Penman Holdings Ltd, which Mr English controls.
He also owns Johnstown Estate Hotel and Trim Castle Hotel in Co Meath.
Kyle Cannon has been appointed as the new General Manager of Portmarnock.
Portmarnock appoints new General Manager
Portmarnock Golf Club has gone with one of its own in appointing Kyle Cannon as the club’s new general manager.
Set to start in his new job in late January 2025, Cannon began his career in the professional’s shop at the north Dublin links, which has serious ambitions to become the first club outside the UK to host the AIG Women’s Open and The Open.
Cannon, who has spent the last two years as General Manager of Woodbrook, then progressed to become Reservations Manager and Operations Manager at Portmarnock before moving to Lahinch Golf Club in 2018, where he took up the position of Operations Manager under Paddy Keane.
That proved a valuable training ground for Cannon, managing the demands of an active members’ club while also gaining valuable experience with the club’s hosting of the 2019 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the annual South of Ireland Amateur Open.
Cannon has been General Manager at Woodbrook near Bray for the last two years, where he was integral in the execution of their strategic plan and management of major capital projects.
These included the opening of two new holes designed by former Amateur champion Peter McEvoy to replace the par-three second and par-four third, which were lost to a new housing and DART station project.
He replaces Scot Elaine McBride, who took over from Andrew Whitelaw, now at Aronimink in Philadelphia, in January 2023.
Truffle Honey Directors, Mike Hayes, Collete Hayes and Shane Edwards with Louise O’Donoghue, Group Head Chef, pictured with John Eggleston General Manager of Ballybunion Golf Club. Photo: Don MacMonagle
New food experience at Ballybunion
The 19th hole is crucial to the success of any golf club, and it’s no different at famed Ballybunion in Co Kerry.
Local specialists Truffle Honey, which already manages the food offerings at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club and Tralee, has been awarded the catering contract.
Founded in 2015 by the husband and wife team of Mike and Collette Hayes, the goal is to make the food match the excellence of the golf.
“Shane Edwards became a partner in the company when we branched into golf catering and he already manages the golf catering operations in Tralee and his native Killarney,” Mike said.
“There’s a very good core team already here in Ballybunion that are all coming on board with us. We’ll be taking their experience on board with the members and their knowledge of the club, and we’ll be using that to add to our own experience and standards.”
It will be busy for them at Ballybunion, where 70,000 rounds are played on the Old and Cashen links courses every year with 20,000 of them played by visitors.
The General Manager of Ballybunion Golf Club, John Eggleston, said, “We are looking forward to welcoming Mike, Collette and the Truffle Honey team to Ballybunion Golf Club.
The catering is the last interaction that a guest has with our golf club, so it’s vital to give a lasting impression at that touchpoint that is fantastic because it is a parting shot for Ballybunion Golf Club,” said Ballybunion’s General Manager, John Eggleston.
Truffle Honey had a team of 65 during the 2024 summer season, and this may grow to 80 thanks to the Ballybunion contract.
Neil Manchip (Golf Ireland High Performance Director and National Coach), Shane Ryan (Dromoland), Eric Hanley (Golf Ireland) and Keith O’Neill (Enniscrone).
Coaches’ Cup has western flavour
Enniscrone’s Keith O’Neill and Dromoland’s Shane Ryan teamed up with Eric Hanley to win the fourth edition of Golf Ireland’s Coaches’ Cup at Carton House.
A field of 16 teed it up on the O’Meara Course for an 18-hole Best Ball team event created to mark the end of the Championship season and gather together Golf Ireland’s team of High Performance coaches.
With High Performance & Competitions Administrator Hanley combining well with O’Neill and Ryan, the trio shot eight-under to claim the trophy by one stroke.
It was O’Neill’s third successive win in the competition as Ryan and Hanley both won on debut.
Kilkenny’s Jan Browne and Athenry’s Sean Cannon made their debuts in an event that allows the coaches to meet up — a rare occurrence given their nationwide spread and hectic schedules.
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