Draft:The Falls Hotel & Spa
| Submission declined on 31 August 2024 by Theroadislong (talk). This submission appears to read more like an advertisement than an entry in an encyclopedia. Encyclopedia articles need to be written from a neutral point of view, and should refer to a range of independent, reliable, published sources, not just to materials produced by the creator of the subject being discussed. This is important so that the article can meet Wikipedia's verifiability policy and the notability of the subject can be established. If you still feel that this subject is worthy of inclusion in Wikipedia, please rewrite your submission to comply with these policies.
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Comment: In addition to the advertising concerns (including the facilities section and the especially blatant stuff about "wedding packages"), I would personally question whether there is any value in having separate articles on the hotel (the business) and the building it occupies. Which, as far as I can tell, is already covered in Ennistymon House.... Guliolopez (talk) 12:15, 31 August 2024 (UTC)
 | This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. |
| Falls Hotel & Spa | |
|---|---|
 Falls Hotel in 2003 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Falls Hotel |
| General information | |
| Location | Ennistymon, County Clare |
| Address | Glencree, Castlequarter, Ennistymon, County Clare |
| Town or city | Ennistymon |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 52°56′27″N 9°17′53″W / 52.94072°N 9.29810°W |
| Opening | 1936 |
| Owner | Dan and Eileen McCarthy |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 140 |
| Number of suites | 2 |
| Number of restaurants | 1 |
| Number of bars | 1 |
| Website | |
| https://www.fallshotel.ie/ | |
The Falls Hotel & Spa, commonly known as the Falls Hotel, is a family-run, carbon neutral, hotel and spa in Ennistymon, County Clare, in the West of Ireland[1]. It is built around the historic Ennistymon House, and is Ireland's only hydropowered hotel, getting power from the Inagh River that runs beside it.[2] The cast and crew of the T.V show Father Ted stayed in the Falls Hotel during filming. Much of the music video for "My Lovely Horse", from the episode A song for Europe, was filmed on the hotel's grounds.[3]
History
[edit]- For the history before becoming Falls Hotel & Spa see Ennistymon House
The Falls Hotel was first opened with 20 bedrooms in 1936 by Francis MacNamara.[4] In 1937, Francis MacNamara's daughter Caitlin, married Welsh poet Dylan Thomas,[5] after whom the later Dylan Thomas bar would be named. In 1938, MacNamara leased the hotel for five years to Brendan O'Regan.[6][7] Once the lease ended, MacNamara sold the hotel to Gerard Henry Williams-Owen, who operated the hotel exclusively in the summer.[4]
In 1954, John Wood, looking for a hotel to buy, visited the Falls Hotel. Seeing the opportunity to build a hydroelectric generator in the nearby waterfall of the Inagh River,[8] he and his wife Bridget bought the hotel for £4,000 in 1955.[9] Using a 1912 30-kWh[10] hydroelectric generator from Ballinasole, they were able to generate enough electricity to power the rooms, heat the water and light the outside.[9] The generator contained to work until around the year 2000.[8]
In 1986, Dan and Eileen McCarthy bought the hotel. Expanding it from the simple 20 bedrooms to the current 140 bedrooms, two restaurants, large bar, conference room, banqueting room, gym and swimming pool.[4]
In 2009, the first Irish Discworld convention was hosted in the Falls Hotel[11], over 200 people attended including author of the franchise Sir Terry Pratchett, who stayed for three days sending his personal assistant in place to an awards show in Edinburgh, where a documentary on Pratchett’s life and struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease won an award.[12] The second Irish Discworld convention was also held in the Falls Hotel in 2011.[13]
In May 2014, Thomas Flanagan contacted the director of the Equality Tribunal, claiming that the regular occurrences of a female member of staff entering the men’s changing room were discriminatory, contrary to the Equal Status Acts 2000 and 2012. Flanagan had directly asked the woman to cease her actions, but had his requests ignored. Flanagan stated that he believes no woman would be subjected to the same treatment. Flanagan believed that it was discriminatory as The Falls Hotel would not subject a women to the same treatment. Hearings were held in October and December 2014, and it was determined in February 2015 that the presence of the female staff member in the men's changing room constituted discrimination and harassment. Falls Hotel was ordered to pay Flanagan €2,000 in compensation.[14][15]
The 2016, general election count was held in the the Falls Hotel. It was the first time a count was held in North Clare. This decision was made after the traditional venue, the West County Hotel in Ennis, had already been booked for the All-Ireland darts competition.[16][17]
In 2016, construction started on a new 220 kWh hydroelectric generator. It was completed in 2018,[18] and within the first year it counteracted an estimated 550 tonnes of carbon emissions.[2] It can generate 60% to 70% of the hotel’s annual energy needs. In winter it can reach more than 100%, with the hotel returning 50kw back to the national grid.[19][8]
In March 2021, the hotel was certified as carbon neutral by Greenmark.ie through Green Hospitality Ireland.[20][21]
Facilities
[edit]Rooms
[edit]There are 140 bedrooms, nine self-catering apartments and one self-catering lodge and there are two Georgian style suites, originally built as part of the 1560 castle and later manor house.[22]
Dining
[edit]The Falls Hotel is home to The Dylan Thomas Bar and Cascades Restaurant.[23]
River Spa & Aqua Club
[edit]The River Spa & Aqua Club includes a 20-metre swimming pool, kid’s pool, bubble pool, a sauna, steam room and outdoor jacuzzi. The River Spa is made up of twelve treatment rooms, four of the which have been incorporated into an 18th centaury stable.[24][25]
An Teach Lacha
[edit]An Teach Lacha, (English: The Duck House) is a restored self-catering cottage once the home of gardeners who worked for the MacNamara family. It earned it's nickname "An Teach Lacha", for the ducks that made the abandoned building their home.[26]
Weddings
[edit]The Falls Hotel offers four all-inclusive packages for weddings.[27]
See also
[edit]- Brendan O'Regan - Inventor of the duty-free shop and ran the Falls Hotel between 1938 and 1943.
- Dylan Thomas - Poet who married Caitlin MacNamara, daughter of the the founder of the Falls Hotel.
References
[edit]- ^ "Location". fallshotel.ie. The Falls Hotel and Spa Co. Clare. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ a b McMahon, Paraic (2020-01-21). "Falls Hotel becomes first in Ireland to run on its own hydroelectricity". Clare Echo. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ Clifford, Graham (2015-04-19). "Fr Ted: Mass hysteria on the show's 20th anniversary". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ a b c "History". fallshotel.ie. The Falls Hotel and Spa Co. Clare. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Clare People: Caitlín Thomas, née Mac Namara". Clare Libraries. 1953-11-09. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ McGann, Colin (2015-10-24). "Shannon: The man behind the vision". The Clare Champion. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Brendan O'Regan". Roundabout Shannon. 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ a b c McGann, Colin (2019-02-10). "The power of water runs the Falls". The Clare Champion. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ a b Broin, Cian O (2020-05-07). "John F Wood's trailblazing time in charge of The Falls Hotel". Clare Echo. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ Magazine, Go Wild (2020-01-20). "The Falls Hotel . becomes first in Ireland to run on its own hydro electricity". Go Wild Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Previous Conventions". Irish Discworld Convention 2025. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ "200 fans at Discworld Convention". The Clare Champion. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ "The world of Prachett". The Clare Champion. 2011-10-27. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ McGann, Colin (2016-03-24). "Falls Hotel loses discrimination case". The Clare Champion. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ Moonan, Niall (2016-03-24). "€2,000 for "harassed" man after female hotel worker entered men's changing rooms". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ McGann, Colin (2016-02-05). "General Election count in Ennistymon". The Clare Champion. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ McGann, Colin (2016-02-26). "General Election voting underway". The Clare Champion. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ Holland, Tadhg (2022-10-03). "Carbon Neutrality in full flow at Falls Hotel". Clare Echo. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Hydro Power". fallshotel.ie. Falls Hotel & Spa. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Falls Hotel & Spa". greentravel.ie. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Eco-Tourism". fallshotel.ie. The Falls Hotel and Spa Co. Clare. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Rooms in Clare". fallshotel.ie. Falls Hotel and Spa. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Restaurants & Bars". fallshotel.ie. The Falls Hotel and Spa Co. Clare. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Spa Hotel Clare". fallshotel.ie. The Falls Hotel and Spa Co. Clare. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "The Falls Hotel & Spa". Visit the Burren. 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Self catering cottage Clare, Self catering holiday in Clare". fallshotel.ie. Welcome to Falls Hotel. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ "Wedding Venue Clare, Wedding Clare, Clare Wedding Venue". fallshotel.ie. Welcome to Falls Hotel. Retrieved 2024-08-30.