Spirit & Passion: Interview With Ronan Branigan
If you were to ask Ronan Branigan about his proudest achievement, it’s not the many prestigious awards that his hotels and restaurants have won.
“I think it’s growing the Savoy Group from its humble beginnings with only two staff in 2003,” he says. “We now employ close to
300 people across our hotels, restaurants, bars and food hall, many of whom have been with us for quite a considerable time - they’re part of the family.”
Ronan comes from a hotel background in Monaghan, and his parents instilled a spirit and passion for hospitality in him from an early age. He studied at the Shannon College of Hotel Management, and he worked with Radisson in Switzerland, Forte Group in Windsor and London and the Hilton Group in Dublin. Then he and his wife Anne decided to launch their own hospitality business, which is now concentrated in Limerick.
“Anne and I moved back to Limerick in 2003, and opened the
Market Square Brasserie in the city centre,” he recalls. “We added Hamptons Bar & Grill in 2008, The Savoy Hotel in 2009 and The George Hotel in 2n01d4, and Alex Findlater & Co. arrived in 2017. I’m very lucky to be working in an industry and area of expertise that I love, and I thank my parents for sparking that in me.”
Ronan and Anne have two girls, Chloe (19), and Kate (15), both of whom help out at weekends. “I worked out long ago how to balance work and family life,” he laughs. “Bring the family to work! Home is very much an office too and a place for discussion and tossing around ideas - many of which, I’m happy to say, come to fruition.”
Ronan attributes much of the success of the business to his wonderful staff who deliver a world-class service to their very loyal clientele. 2020 is an exciting year as there is a €5m refurbishment programme underway across the group. This will see all bedrooms in the Savoy and the George being renovated, while 13 executive suites will be added to the Savoy. Its iconic bar and library will be upgraded and the event and banqueting spaces re-imagined.
With the Wild Atlantic Way literally on his doorstep, the dynamic entrepreneur de-stresses by enjoying frequent visits to local beaches and swims in the ocean. “The restorative powers of exercise are quite amazing, and even after a long day, a run, jog or walk never fails to reset the mind for the challenges ahead,” he says.