Dunmore’s Haven Hotel celebrates a half century

Paul, Sharon, Jean and Jason Kelly of the Haven Hotel

The Kelly family has cause for celebration this year, as it commemorates fifty years of running one of Waterford’s most iconic hotels, Dunmore East’s Haven Hotel.

Purchased by Jean and the late John Kelly in the spring of 1964, the hotel has become a favourite with locals and visitors alike as a welcoming home -from-home with stunning sea views, a relaxing and warm atmosphere, inviting accommodation and locally sourced good food.

Today the hotel is run by the next generation of Kellys; Paul, Sharon and Jason.  While the siblings are determined to retain the unique characteristics of the hotel, there are exciting times ahead for the Haven Hotel.

According to Paul, 2014 is going to be a year of innovative developments.  “We grew up in the hotel, it’s in our blood.  When Dad died earlier this year, we all knew that we wanted to take over the reins, build on his legacy and make him proud of our achievements.  It’s particularly poignant for us as 2014 is the 50^th anniversary of Mum and Dad buying the hotel.”

Over the winter hiatus the family invested in refurbishing the hotels 16 bedrooms and suites.  The Haven Hotel started life as a private home and the focus was on retaining the old world charm of a private residence. 

In the restaurant and bar, the Haven Hotel prides itself on its wide- appealing a la carte and bar menus.  The daily catch is landed only yards away in Dunmore Harbour and the Haven Hotel chefs work with local quality food producers to create exciting and sumptuous fine and casual dining options. 

“We have just expanded our options with extensive lunch and dinner menus and bar food served all day.  We are lucky to be situated so close to Dunmore East harbour and are spoiled with the selection of fresh seafood that is landed literally yards from our door.  Locally sourced meat, poultry, fish, fruit and vegetables are a staple of the Haven Hotel’s menus and the kitchen team has nurtured good relationships with local and regional quality food producers,” Paul added.

The stunning setting of the hotel has attracted many weddings.  The Haven Hotel has hosted traditional weddings, civil ceremonies and humanist ceremonies in the gardens set to the stunning coastal backdrop.  The Haven Hotel caters for small and intimate wedding parties to weddings with up to 150 wedding guests.  Sharon Kelly, Wedding Coordinator has worked with hundreds of couples with unique and individual ideas about their big day.

“Weddings have changed.  The traditional wedding with 300 plus guests is a rarity these days.  Couples tend to opt for a more intimate ceremony and reception.  In our experience, when couples visit the Hotel for the first time they are astonished by the magnificent sea views and love the idea of their family and friends mingling and relaxing on the lawn overlooking the bay.  In fact you couldn’t get a more stunning backdrop for wedding photographs.”

Evenings at the Haven Hotel are set to get livelier.  Paul has developed a broad schedule of live musical entertainment over the coming months. “The summer months always had a full live music calendar, however we are determined to develop the schedule throughout the year.”

“Every Friday we hold a very popular traditional Ceili and we’ve had a great reaction to the Country and Western Jukebox, which is superb platform for up and coming local talent. Our Celtic Boogie Night and Garth Brook’s Tribute act were huge successes, so we plan to introduce a wide and varied live music line-up over the coming months.”

Fifty years on, the inimitable Haven Hotel, is renowned as the perfect destination for those who want to explore, those who love good food, those who like to relax and unwind and those who want to spend time with their families, in a setting that can only be described as breath – taking!

The next fifty years hold exciting times for the Kelly family as they continue to develop and enhance one of Waterford’s best loved hotels.

For bookings, queries or further information about the Haven Hotel in Dunmore East, Co. Waterford call 051 383150, visit www.havenhotel.com or like The Haven Hotel Dunmore East on Facebook.

Musical Royalty to headline Dunmore Bluegrass Festival

Mary Jean Lewis and the Low Men will perform over the three day Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival and fans can expect Mary Jean’s trademark enthusiasm, energy and excitement, synonymous with an entertainer who is just coming into her own.

However behind that fresh vitality comes decades of experience.  Her first proving ground as a teenage girl was Memphis, Tennessee.  Hardly surprising considering her uncle Jerry Lee Lewis helped make the Tennessee city the cradle of rock ‘n’ roll.

Mary Jean has found her place in the sun under the bright talents of the Low Men. A hand - picked band, all crack roots experts, the Low Men provide Mary Jean with the kind of accompaniment that brings out the best in her.

The band blends virtuosity with spontaneity, creating a tight sound that maintains the heart and the soul of the deepest veins of Mary Jean’s American musical past. The Low Men bring out the best in each other and show that the singer is a wholly distinctive artist with a voice and a sound all her own.

According to Mary Jean Lewis, “Roots music is very personal and intimate. Every player has a profound influence on the sound and the feel.  I remember my days back in Sandy Bayou where everyone would get together and take turns singing songs on the front porch. Those times are such a part of who I am and why I love this music the way I do. It wasn’t just our entertainment. It was our way of life.” 

Mick Daly, Festival Founder and Organiser, is thrilled to have a performer of Mary Jean’s calibre performing at the festival.  “Mary Jean Lewis is without a shadow of a doubt, a musical legend.  From an early age she couldn’t but be influenced by her uncle, Jerry Lee Lewis.  But she has also experienced so much musically and culturally and has lived and performed in Louisiana, Nashville, England and Scotland, drawing on the influences of these places.”

“Mary Jean draws on a wide range of country, blues and rock ‘n’ roll and her powerful voice and soulful lyrics will be a huge hit to festival goers.” Mick added.

The line-up of the 19^th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival from August 22^nd to 25^th will feature an eclectic mix of bluegrass, country, swing, blues, rhythm and rock ‘n’ roll acts from Ireland and further afield.

For more information about the 19^th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford you can download the bluegrass brochure from www.discoverdunmore.com.

Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival line up complete!

After 18 years of banjo pickin', mandolin' pluckin', step dancin', fiddle playin', double bass clawin' sessions in the picturesque fishing village of Dunmore East – 2013 promises an even more jam packed, foot tappin’, barnstormin’ weekend for the 19^th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival.

The line up is complete and the countdown has begun to this summer's ultimate Bluegrass festival.

So, if banjo pickin', mandolin' pluckin', step dancin', fiddle playin' and double bass clawin' sessions are your thing, Dunmore East is the only place to be from August 22nd to 25th.

For full band and venue details check out www.discoverdunmore.com

Hard Station to debut at Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival, in memory of founder, Vinny Baker

Hard Station, the Midlands based bluegrass and new grass band will make their Waterford debut at the 19^th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival in Dunmore East.

The decision to perform was a heartfelt one for band members Johnny Gleeson, Joe Meehan and Roy Brennan, following the untimely death of founding member Vinny Baker who died last week.

An exceptionally talented musician, Vinny skillfully mastered many instruments and was involved in a number of renowned bluegrass bands including The Tennessee Breakdown Band and Bending the Strings before founding Hard Station six months ago with a group of like-minded and talented musicians.

Johnny Gleeson who played with Vinny for many years said the decision to perform at the 19^th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival was a difficult one, but one that Vinny would have wanted.  “He was so proud of how far Hard Station had come in the last six months.  He loved the music we made and we know he would have been to first to say to us ‘the show must go on’”.

“We are determined to honour his memory by continuing to make music.  Performing on the stages at the Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival is probably one of the most fitting tributes we could give Vinny.”

Lovers of bluegrass and new grass can look forward to a wide assortment of bluegrass fiddle tunes, new grass, swing, jazz, gypsy jazz and plenty of acoustic music with Johnny Gleeson on dobro, guitar and vocals, Joe Meehan on mandolin, guitar and vocals and Roy Brennan on double bass and vocals.

Mick Daly, Festival Founder and Organiser, is happy that a band of Hard Station’s calibre will be debuting at the Co. Waterford festival from August 22^nd to 25^th.

“I know it was a tough decision for the members of Hard Station to perform at the Bluegrass festival, but we are privileged that Johnny, Joe and Roy have decided to play in August and honour Vinny’s memory.”

“Vinny was such a huge influence on the Irish bluegrass and new grass landscape and the whole community is shocked and saddened.  His loss is felt deeply by musicians and music lovers alike who respected his astonishing talent, desire and energy that went into making great music,” he added.

The 19^th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival commences at 7pm on Thursday, August 22nd at the Strand Hotel and features three days of dozens of bands, playing almost 50 gigs in throughout the Co. Waterford coastal village.

For more information about the 19^th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford visit www.discoverdunmore.com.

19th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival makes welcome return to Dunmore East

Fans of bluegrass, honky-tonk, blues, country, rhythm ‘n’ roots are in for a musical treat as the Guinness International Bluegrass Festival returns to the South East this summer.

Now in its 19^th year, the festival takes place in Dunmore East, the picturesque Co. Waterford seaside village from August 22^nd to August 25^th and the festival organisers are delighted to announce headline act, Mary Jean Lewis and the Low Men.

Mary Jean Lewis grew up in a family of musical royalty.  Her mother Linda Gail Lewis has recorded more than 20 albums, and her uncle, Jerry Lee Lewis, an early pioneer of rock and roll, shot to fame with “Great Balls of Fire” in 1957.

Mary Jean Lewis, an established singer / songwriter hails from Louisiana, but now resides in Scotland.  Drawing on a wide range of country, blues and rock ‘n’ roll, her powerful voice and soulful lyrics are testament to her remarkable musical legacy.

According to Mick Daly, Festival Founder and Organiser, this years’ festival promises something special for all music lovers.  “Mary Jean Lewis and the Low Men have left a lasting impression in any of the venues they have played. Their set is a roller coaster of fast paced rock ‘n roll, rockabilly and pop, with a tempo altering segue into country and bluegrass.  Dunmore is going to love her.”

The festival will also feature the return of Land’s End, who debuted at the festival in 2012.

The band, made up of members from Cork, Galway, Dublin, Munich, Liverpool and Canada, perform music strongly embedded in the bluegrass tradition, but each member brings a distinctive sound of their own musical tradition to the musical arrangements of the band.

Dublin based four piece Well Enough Alone, who appeared in 2011, are back to deliver a mix of original bluegrass songs to classics to hot instrumentals.  Tin Box Company, The Pilgrims and the Down and Out Bluegrass Band are just some of the other names on the line up for the country’s favourite bluegrass festival.

The local hostelries; the Strand Inn, The Ocean, The Haven Hotel, The Spinnaker, Powers Bar and Azzurro, will play host to dozens of gigs throughout the weekend. 

Mick added, “All of the gigs are free over the three day festival, with the exception of Mary Jean Lewis and the Low Men.”

“The line-up is top quality and the three day festival will see some wonderfully talented musicians performing throughout the village.  There is also a wide reaching appeal to the acts, playing an eclectic mix of bluegrass, country, swing, blues, rhythm and rock ‘n’ roll.  So you don’t have to be a bluegrass fan to enjoy the festival, you just have to like good music,” Mick added.

The 19^th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival kicks off at 7pm on Thursday, August 22nd at the Strand Hotel and heralds the start of three days of dozens of bands, playing almost 50 gigs in the villages’ pubs, restaurants and hotels.

For more information about the 19^th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford visit www.discoverdunmore.com.

A Picker's Paradise - 19th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival set to return to Dunmore East

The Guinness International Bluegrass Festival returns to Dunmore East, Co. Waterford for its 19^th year.  The festival will take place in the picturesque fishing village from August 22nd to August 25^th.

As with previous years the local hostelries; the Strand Inn, The Haven Hotel, The Spinnaker, Powers Bar and Azzurro, will play host to dozens of free gigs throughout the weekend with local, national and international bluegrass names playing a variety of traditional and contemporary bluegrass music.

Full details of bands and artists performing at the 19^th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford will be announced soon on www.discoverdunmore.com

 

Dunmore East set to “Ready Steady…..Fish”

The line up for one of Dunmore East’s favourite festivals is complete and professional and amateur cooks will be donning their Chef’s hats for the Dunmore East Food Festival which takes place from June 25th to June 27th.

Waterford’s most picturesque fishing village will enjoy a jam-packed weekend of family fun, festivities and fish when the festival is officially launched by Celebrity chef and proprietor of Dunbrody House Hotel, Kevin Dundon.

Visitors to Dunmore East can expect a busy schedule of events over the three days. The festival will be launched in the Peoples Park on Friday, June 25th and some local celebs will be feeling the kitchen heat as they compete in the final of “Ready Steady Fish”, the cookery competition to find the best “Seafood Pancake” recipe. The finalists will be ably assisted by team captains Kevin Dundon and Michael Quinn.

Whilst the focus is going to be on fresh food, there is going to be plenty for all the family to do. With street artists, face painters, a Farmer’s market, a mobile farm, food seminars, angling competitions, sand castle competitions and plenty of food stalls throughout the village and harbour.

According to Festival Committee member, Paul McDaid, the festival is guaranteed to be one of the most exciting summer festivals in the region. “The committee has worked hard to put together a festival that leaves no – one out. From cookery demonstrations and seminars through to food markets and sandcastle competitions there is undoubtedly something for all the family.”

“We have already started the competition for our “Seafood Pancake” finalists with a series of cook offs over the next few weeks, culminating in our final on June 25th. Our two celebrity finalists will be under the watchful supervision of Kevin Dundon and Michael Quinn.”

Timmy Ryan and Aoibhinn Fallon of WLRfm took part in the first quest to find the perfect Seafood Pancake recipe at Lemon Tree. Every Thursday for the next four weeks there will be two local celebs competing in The Ocean, The Haven Hotel, Azzurro, The Strand and The Spinnaker.

For more information about the Dunmore East Food Festival, June 25th to 27th visit http://www.waterford-dunmore.com/.