New£4millionhotel opensinEnniscorthy

July 1998

The new Riverside Park Hotel represents an investment of £4 million in Enniscorthy, those who attended the official opening on Friday night were told.

The eye-catching development on the banks of the Slaney was formally launched by Finance Minister, Charlie McCreevy. He was welcomed to Enniscorthy by builder Seamus Neville, whose family firm are responsible for transforming the former council machinery yard.

The Riverside Park is the firms’ first venture into the hotel business, after they were tempted to Enniscorthy by the Urban Renewal tax incentive package.

On Friday, almost 200 invited guests were treated to the best of food and wine at a special dinner in the Hilton Edwards suite, overlooking the river. They were told that the hotel is capable of catering for conferences of up to 700 people.

The site was not without its difficulties. The danger of flooding meant that the hotel had to be built on concrete stilts above its own car park. Despite the technical problems, the Nevilles workforce completed the construction work in about eight months.

‘We were delighted when the opportunity presented itself,’ stressed Seamus Neville at last week’s opening ceremony. He praised all involved in the construction, and also complimented hotel manager Jim Maher on the way he has set about his new job in supervising the function rooms, lounge, restaurant, bar, and bedrooms at the hotel.

Already, 60 full-time staff have been taken on at the hotel, with a further 50 part-timers also on call.

Minister McCreevy complimented the Nevilles on their work and said ‘ there is no hotel finer in any part of Ireland’. He unveiled a plaque to mark the official opening of the hotel, and was later given a guided tour of the nearby 1798 Centre before making his way to another engagement in Wexford.

The hotel was blessed by Father Peter O’Connor and Archdeacon Kenneth Wilkinson.