He’s well known for his impeccable manners and penchant for proper etiquette, but hotelier Francis Brennan has managed to insult an entire county in one sentence this week.
In a joint interview with his brother John in this week’s Sunday Business Post, Mr Brennan appeared to throw away his own rule book and raised eyebrows across the country with some rather outrageous views about the people of Sligo.
The TV personality and owner of the five-star Park Hotel in Kenmare said: “My vision of Sligo is always outside the Post Office, 15 fellas smoking and collecting their dole. That’s my vision of Sligo because they wouldn’t work in a fit. They wouldn’t understand what we do in Kerry.”
Mayor of Sligo Municipal District, Cllr Marie Casserly, spoke out to defend the seaside town and asked Mr Brennan to visit and check out the local food and adventure tourism.
“We have so much to offer.” she said. “I think it makes us want to even work harder to prove what he is saying isn’t true. But we would welcome any advice Francis has to give us,”
Mr Brennan, who recently launched a range of high-end furnishings at Dunnes Stores, maintains his comments were taken out of context.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, he explained:
“The point was absolutely correct and if it was misinterpreted we apologise, there was no offence meant. We know what the county has to offer inside out.
“The difference between other places and South Kerry is that there is nothing else but tourism in South Kerry. There is nothing here in the winter. As a result people here have multiple jobs. There was nothing sinister about Sligo.”
Image: Francis Brennan’s Grand Tour, RTE
