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Gardai turn back 'snow tourists'

Gardaí mounted an intensive operation in the uplands of Wicklow to stop people going there to exercise and view the snowy conditions, despite the 5km from home rule in place. icyroad

Vehicles were also being towed away for illegal parking and blocking access.

A network of checkpoints was put in place and people were being turned away from the uplands, while several towing trucks had been deployed by the Garda to tow vehicles away on Sunday.

Cars towed away and taken to a pound are released to drivers after a €150 fine has been paid. If the vehicles are not collected and the fee paid on the day of towing, an additional charge of €50 per day applies.

Bamboo owner in merger

POS8 Limited, the owner of on-premises food and drink order-and-pay application Fetch, has merged with Norse Starlit Limited, which owns the Irish food-ordering app Bamboo. bamboo

Last year, Bamboo was saved by a group of its original investors after liquidators were appointed in early May. The app, launched in 2018, has around 150 restaurants in Galway, Dublin and Cork using its food-ordering product, enabling customers to order ahead for a contactless pickup.

The company behind the Bamboo app fell into difficulty in April when many partners closed due to the pandemic and a "financial event" fell through. During the restructuring period, a group of the original investors, led by Andrew Connolly - the managing director of Morgan McKinley's Toronto Office - acquired the app.

Hope for Electric Picnic

MCD chief Denis Desmond has expressed confidence that Electric Picnic and Longitude music festivals will proceed this summer. electricpicnic

Mr Desmond said: “There is no reason other than logistics around the rollout of the vaccines here why this summer cannot happen.

He said additional acts have been booked for the 70,000-capacity Electric Picnic this September and it is currently planned to announce the full line-up around St Patrick’s Day.

Asked when music fans can expect MCD concerts again, Mr Desmond said: “The summer. There is nothing to stop us getting back to normality other than the supply and logistics of rolling out the vaccines

However, Mr Desmond ruled out any major stadium gigs this summer.

Hotels take €2.6bn hit

The latest survey from the Irish Hotels Federation reveals a €2.6 billion drop in hotel and guesthouse revenues during 2020 compared to the previous year, representing an timfenn0218 unprecedented financial hit to the sector. Down 60% year on year, the collapse in revenues due to Covid restrictions has affected all areas of hotel operations – from accommodation, food and beverage to corporate events and social gatherings.

Results show a dramatic decline in room occupancy levels for the sector, plummeting to a record low of just 30% last year compared to 73% in 2019 as a result of severe restrictions and an obliteration of overseas tourism into the country. With significant Government restrictions set to remain in place for the first of half of 2021 and beyond, the sector continues to face enormous financial challenges and uncertainty. Urgent additional Government supports are required if tourism businesses are to survive.

The IHF is calling on the Government to put in place an Emergency Tourism Budget with additional targeted measures to ensure the viability of tourism businesses and the hundreds of thousands of livelihoods they support throughout the country.

Grants for Towns and Villages

Outdoor cinemas, cycleways and an autism friendly playground are among the projects that will benefit from €15.4 million in funding announced under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

Altogether 147 projects have been given the green light. humphreys

Minister for Rural and Community Affairs Heather Humphreys said the funding from her department will "support the development of amenities such as walkways, cycleways, dog parks, community parks and playgrounds"

Local authorities had been asked to submit ten projects for consideration. They will be responsible for administering the funds.

Some of the projects approved for funding include a biodiversity park in Stradbally, Co Waterford (€88,615), an autism friendly park in Ballinalee, Co Longford (€97,451) and a nature reserve and education facility at Bailieborough Lake, Co Cavan (€100,000).

The scheme was set up in 2016 and supports over 500 projects nationwide.