Ashford Castle announces three new appointments

ASHFORD Castle has announced three new appointments at the luxury estate.

Lisa Toomey, formerly director of food and beverage, has assumed the role of director of operations; Christopher Murphy has joined as the new director of food and beverage; and Paul Fogerty has joined Ashford Castle as head sommelier.

Michael Leahy, concierge at the castle, has joined an elite panel of global concierges having been awarded membership of Les Clefs d’Or in recognition of his superior service to guests.

The four are part of the 400 plus strong team employed on the Ashford Castle Estate, which incorporates The Lodge at Ashford Castle.

The five-star Ashford Castle, in Cong, is part of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection.

Lisa Toomey joined Ashford Castle in 2017 having spent a number of years working on the food and beverage teams of a number of well-regarded hotels, including the Hyatt Regency and the Connaught Hotel, in London. She has now assumed the role of director of operations at Ashford Castle where she applies her extensive skill-set to driving sales and profitability.

With experience spanning the globe in some of the finest establishments, Christopher Murphy's passion for food began at the world-renowned Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland. Since graduating, Chris has been part of the pre-opening teams at Shangri-La Ningbo, China, as well as 45 Park Lane, London and has progressed through the ranks with experience at The Dorchester Hotel, London and most recently, Mosimann’s in London.

Paul Fogerty has a first-class honours degree in hotel and catering management and has a reputable ability to source some true gems of the wine world. Having worked in a variety of well-established restaurants, where he developed his initial love for wine, Paul decided to pursue a diploma from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, after which he became an approved programme provider for the Trust.

Paul went on to run his own café in Dublin for 20 years but finally decided it was time to head back to the west, where he always considered home. Having assumed the position of head sommelier at Ashford Castle, Paul can now pass on his extensive knowledge of wine to both guests and employees of the luxury establishment

Having been part of Ashford Castle’s concierge team for four years, Michael Leahy has recently been awarded membership of the elite Les Clefs d’Or, elevating his status to being among the very highest calibre of concierge in the world. Les Clefs d’Or, translated as The Golden Keys, is a professional association of hotel concierges, with approximately 4,000 members working in over 80 countries and 530 destinations.

Speaking about the recent appointments, Niall Rochford, general manager of Ashford Castle, said: “At Ashford Castle, our employees are a huge part of what makes for an unforgettable experience for guests. We warmly welcome Paul and Christopher to the Ashford Castle family and we’re very happy for both Lisa and Michael, who have both individually proved themselves time and time again to be invaluable members of staff. We have no doubt that they will each play a big part in leaving a lasting positive impression on our guests.”

In February, Forbes Travel Guide announced its Star Rating winners for 2020 and for the first time ever, an Irish hotel achieved a Five-Star ranking in the annual honours list, the top rating possible. Ashford Castle has joined an elite group of fewer than 300 luxury hotels around the world that have earned a Five-Star Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) ranking.