LAST night's annual pre Leopardstown Races dinner, hosted jointly by Ladbroke's and the Fitzpatrick family, had particular resonances for the latter which is currently celebrating an important anniversary. It's now 25 years since Paddy Fitzpatrick and his late wife Eithne first bought the Killiney Castle Hotel, and thereby founded the business which has since grown to include properties in Cork, Bunratty and New York.
Mr Fitzpatrick, of course, already had extensive experience in the field, having begun his career at the age of 18 in the Gresham Hotel under the tutelage of Toddy O Sullivan. Now all his offspring are involved in the company, and to mark this year's anniversary, the Fitzpatricks are embarking on a £10 million development and expansion plan for their Irish hotels.
In addition, there are plans to establish a Fitzpatrick hotel chain in the United States; eldest son John Fitzpatrick already manages the Manhattan property on Lexington Avenue as well as the British Airways hotel in New York. It's clear that these are people who like to keep business within the family. The imminent wave of expansion will require construction work and this will be undertaken by Mastertone - a subsidiary of the main company and jointly managed by two other sons Patrick and Tony Fitzpatrick.