This year, we are celebrating the 34th work anniversary of our Head Receptionist, Grace Kierce. One of our longest standing staff members, Grace has seen many changes take place at the Castle.
To mark the anniversary, we took a little time out enjoying lunch in our Walled Gardens, surrounded by the scent of our beautiful Dromoland Roses and had a catch up about life in the Castle for the last three decades.
“I love working at Dromoland Castle and always feel a great sense of pride when speaking about Dromoland. It’s just so great to work here and know you are working in one of the best hotels in the world. Looking back over the years there have been so many changes. When I started, we had a manual reservations system, most of our advertising was through the newspapers and communication was by telephone, telex and by mail. When the fax machine arrived, we thought we had moved into such a modern world! The reception area was by the old entrance, just outside the bar and there were just 75 rooms. Now we have 97.” When Grace joined Dromoland Castle in 1987, the golf course was just 9 holes, and there was no Golf & Country club, no Spa and no Brian Boru Centre.”
“In my time, the room numbers have changed three times. Now we have all the modern technologies to make things work seamlessly. Despite all the changes, the one thing that hasn’t changed is the focus on guest care. This was and still is the number one priority and always giving the very best professional, genuine, caring 5-star experience to each and every guest.”
Of all the royalty, celebrities and presidents that Grace has welcomed to Dromoland Castle over the years, there’s one person that made the biggest impression on her. “A few of my standout guests would be Nelson Mandela, the King & Queen of Spain, the Crown Prince & Princess of Japan, President Bill Clinton, President George Bush, and Pierce Brosnan. But the person who stood out the most is my lovely husband, whom I met on my second day working here!”
Congratulations Grace, on your anniversary, and thank you for being such an important member of the Dromoland family!
