THE Henggelers sure know how to throw a party.
After months of work, the new-look Rose Hotel was officially launched on Friday as owners Dick and Eibhlin Henggeler cut the tape in the morning and a reception with a distinct touch of class was held later that evening.
Around 200 invited guests got to see the results of the refurbishments and all agreed the place looks absolutely stunning.
In the newly renovated function room, guests enjoyed music from ‘The Three O’s’ while a range of delicious canapés, cocktails and champagne were brought around to guests. As one guest said to TraleeToday.ie, “there’s a bit of panaché about the evening”.
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Dáithí O Sé was the MC for the evening and spoke with great fondness about Dick and Eibhlin’s daughter Dorothy (Dott) who passed away from a brain tumour in 2014.
“What a beautiful hotel. Dott’s bar is like something you’d see in Manhattan. It’s welcoming, it’s lovely, it’s classy. Just like the lady it’s named after,” said Dáithí.
The Rose of Tralee host got a bit emotional as he recalled a story about when Dott was very ill.
“When my wife was pregnant she was corresponding with Dott’s mother Eibhlin. We were asking about Dott and Eibhlin was asking about Rita. There was a time when poor Dott was in her last week and Eibhlin said into Dott’s ear that Rita had a baby boy. And Dott gave a big smile. That’s a story that’ll stay with us and the Henggelers from now on,” said Dáithí.
Rose of Tralee Elysha Brennan also spoke about how Dott’s spirit will live on in the hotel.
“I wasn’t one of the lucky people who knew and loved Dott, but I feel that our paths have crossed as we have shared that inexplicable journey that is the Rose of Tralee and I feel Dott is my Rose sister, so I carry her in my heart,” said Elysha.
“It’s more than a hotel because Dorothy’s spirit is going to live on in within these walls, upstairs in the corridors where women from all over the world gather and share this unbelievable journey together, she’s going to live on across the road where dreams come true. She’ll always be felt in the bar when friends, old and new, come together to raise a glass and toast the wonderful things we have in life,” she said.
Killarney native Eibhlin Henggeler also spoke about her daughter and her legacy.
“Tonight, Dott would probably be arriving in Killarney on the eve of her 30th birthday with an entourage from America. She’d summons them to Charlie Foley’s Bar as she liked to gather people. Today belongs to us all, because all of us have been touched in some way by Dorothy. She’s inspired us all to greatness, to a fun way of living, to love, to kindness and to bringing out the best in one another. Dott didn’t live the life that she expected, she lived the life she loved.”
The applause rang long and loud in her memory and those present had a great time toasting the new hotel. We’re sure Dott would have approved.
Scroll down for photos (we’ll have many more tomorrow)…