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 A Dublin hotel’s action over its insurer’s refusal to pay out on a claim for business losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has opened before the Commercial Court.

The action has been brought by Premier Dale Limited, trading as The Devlin Hotel in Ranelagh, Dublin 6 against insurance broker Arachas Corporate Brokers Ltd and insurer RSA Insurance Ireland DAC.

The hotel operator is part of the Press Up group of hospitality businesses which employs hundreds of people.

Yesterday, in what is the first part of the overall case, Mr Justice Denis McDonald was asked to interpret the policy of insurance entered into.

The defendants deny the claims against them as alleged and the insurer says they are not obliged to pay out on the policy.

A Cork restaurant owner says that she has been able to achieve up to a third of the business they had pre-Covid when fully embracing outdoor dining in the warm weather.

Tracey Sweeney, co-owner of the Market Lane Group in Cork which operates the Elbow Lane, Goldie and Market Lane restaurants on Oliver Plunkett Street told 'The Irish Examiner' that   improved pedestrianisation in the city has been a "lifesaver" for their business.

"With the addition of permanent outdoor seating along the spine of Oliver Plunkett Street we've been able to regain 30% of the covers we had pre-Covid, albeit when the weather is accommodating," Ms Sweeney said.

"This not only helps us recover as a business but creates new, exciting opportunities, particularly for smaller traders on the street, that simply didn’t exist before. It really helps us future-proof our businesses, as we think that the move to outdoor dining is becoming more and more important to cater to.” 

Deputy McNamara received a briefing on the project during which it was confirmed that the ESB is currently undertaking a feasibility study to establish the business case for a visitor experience at the site of Ireland’s first electricity generating station.

“The Shannon hydroelectric Scheme, which led to the establishment of the ESB in 1927, was a major development by the Irish Free State to harness the power of the River Shannon at a time when the country had the second lowest consumption of electricity in Europe,” stated Deputy McNamara.    “The development of an iconic visitor project here would capitalise on the growth in popularity of heritage-based tourism and ultimately, provide a significant boost to the tourism sector in southeast Clare.”

 Limerick has been designated as a Wild Atlantic Way Gateway City based on its geographical and cultural position in the West of Ireland and its close proximity to the Wild Atlantic Way. The draft1 ‘Limerick Wild Atlantic Way Gateway City Strategy’ builds on a number of development projects that will bring local experiences to life and leverages the opportunities the Wild Atlantic Way presents to sustainably increase the economic benefit of tourism to Limerick over the next five years.

The strategy has been two years in development between Fáilte Ireland and Limerick City and County Council in collaboration with industry partners across the county.

Speaking at the launch of the strategy, Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, said: