What a Year for the Banner County

Well, it seems that County Clare rally is coming up 'Trumps' this year. A sale has been agreed for the Lodge at Doonbeg and Doonbeg Golf Resort. And to none other than the mighty Trump Organisation! Here's a link to a recent article by the Clare people going into the sale itself in more detail.

http://www.clarepeople.com/2014/02/11/donald-comes-up-trumps-for-doonbeg/

Following the sale, we thought we would have a little recap on some other good news stories that took place during the past few months...

First, we won the All Ireland Hurling Final (following an incredible replay) after a lengthy 16 year wait. The celebrations are still taking place and the Liam McCarthy cup has now seen more of the world than Google Maps.

Then, a Clare man won the famous Dublin City Marathon . Sean Hehir crossed the line in 2:18:19 as the first Irishman to win in 20 years. And funnily enough, he crossed the line only 53 seconds ahead of fellow Irish runner Joe Sweeney, who was running his first ever marathon!

And last but not least, Diarmaid Nash of County Clare has been winning Handball tournaments and titles left, right and center this past year. He is the current Men's Irish Seniors National Champion and the 23 & Under World Champion. Kind of a big deal I'd say!


And to top it all off... It's snowing today. Well I personally think that's good news!

Then and Now

Hi again,

For today's post I thought I would show you some progress in a more visual way. I found that when I set out in business HOURS could be spent working on something... but that effort wouldn't show in a physical way. It doesn't make the work any less important, but still, sometimes it's nice to see your blood, sweat and tears pay off!

When I finally decided to launch the business, I started looking for vehicles. Price was fairly restricting so instead of looking for a brand new bus with a few too many zeros on the end, I started looking for one with potential. I came across one on DoneDeal (no surprise there) that had been used as a school bus. With low mileage and one of the friendliest drivers I've ever met, I decided this was the one.

And this is what she looked like...

So first the letters came off...

 

Then the rust, and the tyres and skirtings got painted...

Then the logo went on and the blue disappeared...

And finally the transformation was complete!

 

Time to really start 'monkeying around' and get the business on the road. So far, the business mainly caters to Hen & Stag parties, guided tours and concert & event travel. But the more the word gets out there, the more the phone rings. It's 2014 now (can you believe it!) and things are only getting warmed up... It's still a recession though, meaning it's about time the customer was king again. 

The plan now is to get more vehicles on the road and keep catering to special requests... Let's have some fun with this! :)