.
Pictured at the launch of The Meadowlands Hotel 20th Anniversary Festival in aid of Kerry Hospice Foundation which takes place in Tralee 15th-17th June, is (L to R) Marc Ó Sé, Brian O’Se, Dave Elson, Peigí O’Mathúna of Meadowlands Hotel, Avril Hewett, Joe Hennebry, Maura Sullivan of Kerry Hospice Foundation and (back row) Dusan Bogdanovic and Kieran Donaghy.
TRALEE’S Meadowlands Hotel will be play host to sports stars including soccer legend Paul McGrath and Cork’s Seán Óg Ó hAilpín to celebrate its 20th anniversary as a business with a weekend festival next month.
The Meadowlands Hotel has a long tradition of supporting sports organisations in Tralee and currently sponsors local GAA, soccer & basketball clubs, the Kerry GAA Ticket Van, The Chain Gang Cycling Club, Meadowlands Golf Society, Tralee Marathon, and Tralee Warriors Basketball Club, many of whom will play a role in making this a sport themed, fun-filled weekend of activity for young and old, and with every event raising funds for Kerry Hospice Foundation, a great local cause.
The festival, which will take place from June 15-17 on the grounds of the hotel, will kick-off with a Coffee Morning on the Friday morning followed by a live Outside Broadcast from Raidio Na Gaeltachta.
Continued below…
.
Friday evening a sports pub quiz with local teams represented with take place, followed by live music in Johnny Frank’s bar.
The Chain Gang Cycling Club, celebrating 10 years, will be kicking off the festival on the Saturday with a Charity Cycle heading to Dingle and returning for a barbecue and celebrations early afternoon.
From 12noon-8pm on the hotel grounds, special guests will take on the Chain Gang in an 8 hour turbo bike endurance challenge.
The centrepiece of the festival is the 20th Anniversary Sports Gala in the Meadowlands Ballroom on Saturday night hosted by RTE’s Joe Stack and which features a Q&A with sporting heroes including Kerry’s Tomás O Se, Cork’s 2005 All-Ireland winning hurling captain Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, open water endurance swimmer Dingle’s Nuala Moore and former Ireland, Manchester Utd. and Aston Villa soccer legend Paul McGrath among others.
The event tickets which are on sale at the hotel, will include the panel event, finger food, a major raffle and live music.
The festival weekend continues on Sunday at 12 noon with a Tralee Warriors two-hour non-stop Free Throw Challenge where members of the public can get involved with Warriors team members and also guess the final overall score.
That is followed by a Sunday Trad session from 3pm in the hotel bar to wind down the weekend.
Saturday and Sunday will also see an entertaining day for kids with a Jump n Slide Bouncy Castle, along with fun inflatable and garden games. Guests can enjoy the 20th anniversary barbecue on Saturday and Sunday and lunch specials.
The Meadowlands hotel, established by Paddy and Peigí O’Mathúna, opened on 19th June in 1998 and has grown in size, to employ over 60 staff and boasting 58 bedrooms, Johnny Frank’s Bar & Lounge, An Moínéar Restaurant and a 300 capacity events centre.
Paddy O’Mathúna built his career in the fish processing industry with Iasc Ui Mathuna of Dingle and is originally from Ballyferriter and remains to this day a proud supporter of his beloved club An Ghaeltacht.
Paddy commented, “We’ve come a long way with the hotel through economic highs and lows in the county and this is about marking the milestone with our friends, staff and the wider sporting family we have adopted in Tralee over two decades. We are delighted with the efforts by everyone to bring the festival to life and we are inviting the Tralee public to help raise as much money as possible for Kerry Hospice Foundation who provide fantastic support to Palliative care patients in Tralee and the wider county.”
Check The Meadowlands Hotel Facebook page for a schedule of events or contact the hotel on (066) 718 0444 for inquiries.
