Belfast Newsletter - Well well well. There is a whole different side to Belfast that I suggest many people have been totally unaware of - to their loss. So you are familiar with city centre shopping, Belfast City Hall, The Cathedral Quarter, the Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens, the Golden Mile, the Victoria Square and environs, Lisburn Road and the Troubles Tours in the west of the city?
But what about the Titanic Quarter as a weekend leisure designation?
Never thought of it? Me Neither.
But that all changed with a stay in the delightful Titanic Hotel.
One of Ireland’s largest privately held companies, Harcourt Developments, has unveiled the results of the first phase of a €20 million investment in its hotel portfolio - The Harcourt Collection, at County Donegal’s five-star Lough Eske Castle.
The new additions are named “The Donegal Suites” and showcase furnishings, artworks and amenities sourced and created by local craftspeople and businesses. Overseen by Harcourt Developments Creative Director, John Doherty, interior features include working with world famous local tweed weavers Magee 1866.
A short film about the amazing artist Angela Conner FRBS who created a series of large kinetic sculptures for Park West Business Park in Dublin including the 40m (129ft) high, 20-tonne 'Wave' - the tallest kinetic sculpture in Europe, which is powered only by the wind. Our chairman Pat Doherty was delighted to be interviewed by the filmmakers Laura Warner and Dreweatts 1759.
Hollywood, Los Angeles - the team at Titanic Belfast were delighted to accept a THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement – Visitor Experience Re-envisioned at the ‘Oscars’ of visitor attractions.
The THEA Awards, organised by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), recognise achievement, talent and personal excellence from those who bring incredible experiences to life for people around the world. This is the first time an attraction has won twice in its 30-year history.
Belfast City Council - He sums up its work as bringing “step changes” to Northern Ireland, such as the emergence of a new film and TV industry in the 2000s after Harland & Wolff’s old Paint Hall was transformed into Titanic Studios.
It's among the milestones for Titanic Quarter witnessed by James Eyre since he joined Titanic Quarter Ltd, the company behind the massive seafront development, as a surveyor in 2006.
James, who studied estate management at UIster University, was last week named its new chief executive – the first at the company since a restructuring in 2015.
A short film about the amazing artist Angela Conner FRBS who created a series of large kinetic sculptures for Park West Business Park in Dublin including the 40m (129ft) high, 20-tonne 'Wave' - the tallest kinetic sculpture in Europe, which is powered only by the wind. Our chairman Pat Doherty was delighted to be interviewed by the filmmakers Laura Warner and Dreweatts 1759.
Harcourt Developments and the team at Lough Eske Castle are honoured to announce their patronage for the Young Chef Young Waiter Ireland Awards 2023. The YCYW awards have been established since 1979 and launched internationally in 2019 as a global competition open to all young professional waiters and chefs from any background. Promoting hospitality as a career of choice, a profession, and a vocation, in these times of staff shortages across the sector.
Hospitality Ireland - Pat Doherty is something of a legend. The founder of Harcourt Developments, he left school at 14, left home in Donegal for London at the age of 19, and started working in construction. From there, he has built an empire. Along the way, he became friends with Andrew Parker Bowles and was painted by Lucian Freud. Here, he talks to Emily Hourican.
Donegal Daily - The team at Lough Eske Castle celebrated its 15th anniversary last night with a memorable event which included special guest Packie Bonner.
With over 100 guests attending including Donegal Mayor Pauric Kennedy and Directors of Harcourt Developments, who opened the property in 2007 after €40 million investment. Prior to the event commencing, Donegal man Pat Doherty OBE planted 15 Irish Oak Trees on the estate to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the hotel first opening.
RTE News - A former office block which was vacant for 20 years has been converted into residential homes as part of a €26 million redevelopment project. The development at the Park West Business Park in Cherry Orchard in Dublin will become home to 200 people who had been on the social housing waiting list. Around 9,000sq.m of office space spread over two blocks have been converted into 86 apartments.
The board of Harcourt Developments is delighted to announce the promotion of Lisa O’Connor as Group Director of Sales and Marketing for the Hotel Collection. Harcourt Developments is one of Ireland’s largest privately owned property companies with over 1500 employees and properties across Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK, and Antigua.
Titanic Hotel Belfast is celebrating its fifth birthday this month with a quarter of the hotel’s original staff. Named Northern Ireland’s leading hotel at the World Travel Awards every year since opening its doors in 2017, the longest serving staff member Adrian McNally said he was proud of what the hotel has achieved. Adrian, the General Manager, said…
We are delighted that Titanic Belfast Chief Executive Judith Owens has received an MBE in the Queen's New Year Honours for services to Tourism.
Judith was named Chief Executive of Titanic Belfast in December 2017, following on from her time as Director of Operations and Deputy CEO since opening in 2012.
Principal photography is underway at Titanic Studios in Northern Ireland on Dungeons & Dragons, the much-anticipated feature adaptation based on the iconic role-playing game.
Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez star, with recent reports also naming Hugh Grant and Regé-Jean Page among the supporting cast.
Harcourt is working with all our teams spread across the globe to bring some health and wellbeing tips for National Workplace Wellbeing Day 2020. We understand that this year has presented many challenges and 2020 differs tremendously to previous years.
We want to mark this important date by reaching out and sharing useful activities and advice to offer small but positive distractions to the lives of our valued team members
Sunday Business Post - The building group has set up donation points at all its properties to help support frontline medical staff battling to quell the coronavirus. Harcourt Developments which owns regional shopping centres around the country, has set up donations points at each of its properties to support hospital patients and frontline medical staff during the Covid-19 crisis.
London based developer Pat Doherty was honoured in his hometown of Buncrana in Co. Donegal on Friday night last when he was awarded the Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award for his consistent dedication to the successful development of business and the creation of employment.
“Pat’s success in business has been well documented” said Cllr. Nicholas Crossan of Donegal County Council “but what is remarkable about Pat is his desire to ensure that his success is Donegal’s success.
“In the last 10 years alone Pat has invested in some of the country’s most iconic businesses including the Donegal Lough Eske Castle and the Titanic Quarter in Belfast and currently employs over 500 people in Donegal alone, generating more than €100 million in the local economy”.
Patrick Joseph Doherty, chairman and founder of Harcourt Developments, is among the figures to have been newly appointed to the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 New Year’s Honours list.
Mr. Doherty has been recognised for “services to the Transformation of the Titanic Quarter Site, Belfast.”
Harcourt Developments, the proprietors of Lough Eske Castle Hotel in Donegal has announced the appointment of Donal Cox as the venue’s new general manager. Cox has returned to Lough Eske Castle from sister hotel Redcastle Hotel & Spa in north Donegal, after having previously served as the former hotel’s operations manager seven years ago.
Harcourt recently hosted Sir Paul McCartney, James Corden and the Late Late Show production crew at the Titanic Hotel while they were in Liverpool filming the latest episode of Carpool Karaoke.
Described as 'one of the most extraordinary interviews he's ever done', James Corden spent a special day with Paul McCartney exploring the city of Paul's youth, visiting his childhood home where he wrote music with John Lennon, performing songs in a local pub and of course driving around singing a few of Paul's biggest hits.
Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern and George Mitchell were the guests of honour at a special Co-operation Ireland event organised by the charity’s chairman Christopher Moran to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of The Agreement. Hosted by Pat Doherty at Titanic Hotel Belfast on Tuesday, April 10, the event brought together business leaders and supporters of the peace building charity.
Irish Independent - I can't imagine anything more intense than getting your portrait painted. Just sat there for hours on end, eyeballing someone while they analyse every imperfection on your mug.
"It's certainly an experience," Donegal man Pat Doherty (above) said at the launch of IMMA's new Lucien Freud Collection. Pat sat for Lucien on three separate occasions. "The first painting took 100 sittings, the second was 85 sittings and the third sketch was 35 sittings," he said. "Each sitting took three hours. So it was a lot of time."
And what did he make of the final product? "Well, they're not pretty. I told Lucien I might grow into them - in 30 years' time."
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