1 00:00:01,239 --> 00:00:03,639 If you're going to bail out of a high- flying job, 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:04,919 the most important thing 3 00:00:04,959 --> 00:00:07,080 is to make sure you have a soft landing. 4 00:00:08,279 --> 00:00:10,839 The last thing you want is to free-fall 5 00:00:10,879 --> 00:00:12,959 into unknown territory with no parachute. 6 00:00:13,599 --> 00:00:15,400 I've never done anything in hospitality. 7 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,720 Will it all be a bit too intense and a bit too much? 8 00:00:18,519 --> 00:00:19,760 Meet Ciara O'Brien. 9 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,400 She's given up a successful accountancy career 10 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:25,160 to take a big risk in a small town. 11 00:00:25,199 --> 00:00:26,400 It just doesn't add up. 12 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:28,639 It can be a bit overwhelming sometimes on my own. 13 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:30,400 I'm trying to manage the budget, and 14 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:32,080 manage the decisions and the design... 15 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:34,360 If the Brennans came with a different plan for me, 16 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:35,519 I... it might throw me off a bit. 17 00:00:36,199 --> 00:00:38,959 Right now, Ciara is planning to turn this old farmhouse 18 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,239 into a brand new luxury bed and breakfast. 19 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,000 Our question is... why? 20 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,919 I wonder if they think I'm a bit crazy to take all this on! 21 00:00:46,959 --> 00:00:49,040 I suppose, yeah, it's my baby in the end. 22 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,879 B&Bs in the last number of years have all closed. 23 00:00:51,919 --> 00:00:54,440 I don't know when I've heard of a B&B opening. 24 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:56,400 ♪ (theme music) 25 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:01,360 Four years ago, Ciara O'Brien 26 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:03,879 was a successful corporate accountant, 27 00:01:03,919 --> 00:01:06,519 travelling the world for big multinationals 28 00:01:06,559 --> 00:01:08,480 like global giant Google. 29 00:01:08,839 --> 00:01:10,599 I spent quite a bit of time in London, 30 00:01:10,639 --> 00:01:12,480 and then I went on to work in Singapore, 31 00:01:12,519 --> 00:01:14,040 and then came back, worked in Rotterdam, 32 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:16,080 which is really cool, cosmopolitan city. 33 00:01:17,279 --> 00:01:19,879 In 2020, when the pandemic hit, 34 00:01:19,919 --> 00:01:22,559 Ciara left all that behind and returned 35 00:01:22,599 --> 00:01:25,720 to her childhood home of Mitchelstown, County Cork. 36 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:28,919 My friends who know me 37 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:32,279 as having a nice globetrotting lifestyle, probably wonder... 38 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,239 "Is she settling down too much, 39 00:01:34,279 --> 00:01:35,680 compared to what she's normally been doing?" 40 00:01:37,559 --> 00:01:39,959 Your average accountant tends to avoid risk. 41 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,559 But you see, Ciara's not your average accountant. 42 00:01:42,639 --> 00:01:44,760 She's pouring her entire life savings 43 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,040 into a bed and breakfast with absolutely no experience. 44 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:51,360 So there is no guarantee of success, and no safety net. 45 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,440 Financially, she's completely exposed. 46 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,360 I'm not even sure she knows what she's getting herself into. 47 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:00,000 What I'm hoping for now is to maybe have a less 48 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:01,800 kind of hectic approach to my life. 49 00:02:02,599 --> 00:02:04,040 Ciara needs proper guidance, 50 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:06,519 because she knows nothing about the hospitality business, 51 00:02:06,559 --> 00:02:09,760 and the kind of graft that is required to make it work. 52 00:02:09,839 --> 00:02:12,239 We will do everything to make her dream come true, 53 00:02:12,279 --> 00:02:15,120 but first she has to build it. 54 00:02:15,199 --> 00:02:18,440 As it is, I'm trying to manage within the budget I have. 55 00:02:18,519 --> 00:02:20,720 The budget for the build is somewhere in the region 56 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,800 of about 400,000, and then there's another 100,000 57 00:02:23,839 --> 00:02:26,680 for, say, the finishes and everything to do with the house. 58 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:34,319 It's a lovely autumn morning, and I'm here in Mitchelstown 59 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:36,000 for a bit of a sniff around. 60 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,279 Good morning! I brought the sunshine! 61 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:42,519 Welcome to Barnahown! How are you, Francis? 62 00:02:42,599 --> 00:02:44,319 Well, I'm Alright, except for me nose. 63 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:46,080 I had a little I did a surgery on it yesterday. 64 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,400 Got three or four stitches, but you know, I'll get over it. 65 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:49,519 I'm flying along. 66 00:02:49,599 --> 00:02:52,919 Ciara's old farm house will have a new name, Barnahown, 67 00:02:52,959 --> 00:02:54,760 and a new layout. 68 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,440 On the ground floor, there will be a reception area, 69 00:02:57,519 --> 00:03:01,599 a sitting room or good room, a dining room, and a kitchen. 70 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,800 And upstairs, four en-suite bedrooms. 71 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:10,120 After spending the last four years 72 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,599 living with her parents to save money, 73 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:14,360 Ciara will finally have her own space, 74 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,360 a separate apartment at the side of the B&B. 75 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:21,160 Out the back, there's a courtyard, outbuildings, 76 00:03:21,199 --> 00:03:23,319 and a big patch of overgrown garden. 77 00:03:25,519 --> 00:03:27,879 So we're here in the reception room now, 78 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:29,639 so I'm hoping to have in this corner 79 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:31,599 a reception desk to greet my guests, 80 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:33,400 maybe take some afternoon tea when they arrive. 81 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,400 A little display area here for, you know, local hikes, 82 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:37,720 local activities, and so on. 83 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:39,720 Okay, lead the way there. Come on. 84 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,919 So now, Francis, we're coming into the dining room. Dining room, yes. 85 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,360 So this room has been designed to accommodate 12 to 14. 86 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:48,879 And where are you going to have the seating now? 87 00:03:48,959 --> 00:03:51,680 So hoping to have a banquette here. Along the wall. At the window. 88 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,519 Yeah, exactly. If you put a banquette seat there... Yeah. 89 00:03:54,559 --> 00:03:56,120 And then you put a long table, 90 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:57,800 the person in the middle can't go to the toilet. 91 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,160 But also, people mightn't like to sit with other people at a table. 92 00:04:02,199 --> 00:04:04,239 Okay. So you might put three tables here 93 00:04:04,279 --> 00:04:05,879 that you could push together if there was a family, 94 00:04:05,919 --> 00:04:07,319 or separate if there's three twos. 95 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:08,400 Are you with me? Yeah. I have you. 96 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:10,160 So just keep that in mind. Yeah. That's a great idea. 97 00:04:10,239 --> 00:04:12,239 So Francis, we're here now in the kitchen, 98 00:04:12,319 --> 00:04:14,559 this is the original kitchen of the house. Right. 99 00:04:14,599 --> 00:04:17,080 So you can see, it's a small domestic kitchen. 100 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:18,360 I don't have a lot of space. 101 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:20,080 I'm hoping not to have to go for a commercial kitchen 102 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:21,919 with the numbers that I'm talking about. 103 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,720 I mean, this is a... You don't need to. Yeah, I hope not. No. 104 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,959 What about the sink, now? Where's the sink going? 105 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,559 So the sink is here on the back wall. Oh yeah. 106 00:04:28,639 --> 00:04:30,480 Francis, wake up! (Ciara laughs) 107 00:04:30,519 --> 00:04:31,760 Not to worry! 108 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,120 When it comes to the real heart of Ciara's business, 109 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:36,160 I'm fully focused. 110 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,720 This is one of the larger bedrooms 111 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,040 that I'm hoping to be a premium bedroom. 112 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:43,239 I have two of these exactly the same here 113 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:44,279 at the back of the house. Let's stop for a second. 114 00:04:44,319 --> 00:04:47,120 Okay. The use of premium is always a problem, 115 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:49,760 because you give a person an expectation 116 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:51,040 when they're coming, that they're getting something 117 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:52,760 better than the others. Mm. Okay? 118 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,080 And this might be a quarter the size of their own bedroom at home. Mm. 119 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:59,800 So the use of words like that when you're starting out, not necessary. 120 00:04:59,879 --> 00:05:01,959 Only gives you trouble down the line. 121 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:03,839 Okay, makes sense, yeah. 122 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,959 My vision for this area is to have a lovely outdoor dining area 123 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,199 where in fine weather my guests can come out and enjoy the space. 124 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:12,279 Oh, yeah. 125 00:05:12,919 --> 00:05:15,319 So now, what happens out here? 126 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,959 We're gonna have the outdoor patio for sundowner drinks for the guests 127 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:21,000 in the evenings, and then here, 128 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,040 hopefully, if the budget allows, there'll be a sauna 129 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,400 for people to relax. A sauna? Yeah. 130 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,199 Do you know the price of a sauna and the cost of it? Oh... 131 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:30,959 Very expensive. Mm. But you could put a hot tub here. 132 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,000 Okay, yeah. It would be probably a cheaper option to get going. 133 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,279 Yeah, yeah. So that would be lovely here in the evening. Yeah, okay. 134 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:41,720 In summer 2024, when Barnahown opens for business, 135 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:44,160 Ciara plans to start phase two of the project. 136 00:05:44,239 --> 00:05:48,279 Three more bedrooms in a barn, making a grand total of seven rooms. 137 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,559 Originally, I actually had intended to do the whole seven together, 138 00:05:52,639 --> 00:05:54,559 but I thought it's, yeah, maybe too much, 139 00:05:54,599 --> 00:05:56,440 so my plan now is get the house up and running, 140 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:58,120 see how the four bedrooms are going, 141 00:05:58,160 --> 00:05:59,480 and then if it's, yeah, really successful, 142 00:05:59,519 --> 00:06:01,680 then come on and do this in phase two. 143 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:06,319 Running a brand new bed and breakfast 144 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:07,800 is going to be tough for Ciara, 145 00:06:07,879 --> 00:06:09,360 because she lacks experience. 146 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,839 But what she does have is inspiration in buckets, 147 00:06:12,879 --> 00:06:15,120 and the support of friends who, like her, 148 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,440 have returned to Mitchelstown to run their own businesses. 149 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:19,599 Hi, Ciara. 150 00:06:19,639 --> 00:06:21,959 Hi, how are you? Good, how are you? 151 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:23,199 I'm good, I'm good. 152 00:06:23,559 --> 00:06:25,559 Kate O'Callaghan recently returned home 153 00:06:25,599 --> 00:06:27,360 to help run her family business. 154 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:30,279 With years of experience in high-end hospitality, 155 00:06:30,319 --> 00:06:33,239 she knows the challenge Ciara is about to face. 156 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:37,360 I spent a year in Cannes working at the Intercontinental Carlton, 157 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,120 and then I moved to London once I finished, 158 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,080 and spent some time working at the Dorchester Hotel, 159 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,800 the Lanesborough and 45 Park Lane, 160 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:47,440 which are all based in Mayfair. 161 00:06:47,519 --> 00:06:51,519 And then just in here, we have the en-suite. Yeah. 162 00:06:51,559 --> 00:06:53,680 I am a little bit worried about her lack of experience. 163 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:55,680 The hospitality industry, it's hard work, 164 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:57,599 there's a lot of pressure involved... 165 00:06:57,639 --> 00:06:59,919 Where will your wardrobes be or what's your kind of... 166 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,800 thinking? So I'm going to have a hanging rail sort of along 167 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:03,680 this wall... Yeah. I'm not sure if I have enough space 168 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:05,599 to have, like, a fully enclosed wardrobe. Yeah. 169 00:07:05,639 --> 00:07:06,839 So that's what I'm thinking of. Yeah, yeah. 170 00:07:06,879 --> 00:07:09,360 Owning your own business, it consumes you. 171 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:11,279 It is 24/7. 172 00:07:11,319 --> 00:07:13,400 If you're off, you are still thinking about it, 173 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:14,559 or worrying about it. 174 00:07:14,639 --> 00:07:18,559 But I think there's no one more equipped to do it than Ciara. 175 00:07:18,919 --> 00:07:21,680 Two more of Ciara's friends, Bernadette and Mikey, 176 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,279 run a coffee shop in the centre of town. 177 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:27,360 So this room in here then is going to be the dining room. 178 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:28,919 Amazing! Yeah! 179 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,599 Bernadette's a yoga teacher, and Ciara already has a plan 180 00:07:31,639 --> 00:07:33,279 to align their chakras. 181 00:07:34,279 --> 00:07:35,599 I'll only use it, you know, 182 00:07:35,639 --> 00:07:38,680 maybe two, three hours max in the mornings for breakfast. 183 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:41,199 So I was wondering if it might work for the yoga studio. 184 00:07:41,279 --> 00:07:43,919 Yeah, I could definitely see something happening. 185 00:07:45,199 --> 00:07:47,559 Ciara wants Barnahown to be sustainable. 186 00:07:47,599 --> 00:07:50,480 These are, like, scaffolding planks, 187 00:07:50,519 --> 00:07:51,959 and I did the tops myself then. Yeah. 188 00:07:52,199 --> 00:07:56,720 So among other things, she'll be using recycled café furniture. 189 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:58,440 And how many do you have, like? I probably need 190 00:07:58,480 --> 00:07:59,839 seating for 12 or 14. 191 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,040 We have six in total, so... Yeah. 192 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:03,319 Okay, well, that should be perfect then. Yeah. 193 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:06,760 Okay, and I'll give them a second life. Deadly! Yeah. Deadly! 194 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:07,800 Brilliant! (laughs) Perfect. 195 00:08:10,599 --> 00:08:13,440 (John Brennan) I know Mitchelstown from the signs on the motorway, 196 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:16,559 but that's the point. I pass by. 197 00:08:16,599 --> 00:08:18,559 It's a beautiful square. 198 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:23,720 Opening a B&B in a rural town requires a lot of guts. 199 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:27,000 But there's one thing working in Ciara's favor, 200 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:28,599 Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. 201 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,279 A scheme designed and promote tourism in undiscovered areas. 202 00:08:32,919 --> 00:08:34,760 So there's a lot of optimism here, 203 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:38,160 especially for someone as ambitious and determined as Ciara. 204 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,040 Four good-size rooms. 205 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:45,000 Nice size bathrooms in these. 206 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:47,879 This must be Ciara's living space now. 207 00:08:48,839 --> 00:08:50,599 Fabulous height. 208 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:52,599 Great windows. 209 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:57,279 That's the barn now for the three new rooms in the future. 210 00:08:57,360 --> 00:08:59,599 Nice building, too. Loads of character. 211 00:09:01,319 --> 00:09:04,959 Okay, it's time for myself and Francis to put our heads together. 212 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:06,639 So tell me now, what are you thinking? 213 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:07,760 I enquired around a little. 214 00:09:07,839 --> 00:09:10,360 There's a dire shortage of rooms in town, I know. In town, yeah. 215 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,440 Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So she should have business. 216 00:09:13,519 --> 00:09:16,839 It's just... it's an awful lot of work for just four rooms. 217 00:09:16,919 --> 00:09:19,199 But you know her thinking at the moment is that she'll generate 218 00:09:19,239 --> 00:09:21,080 enough cash from the four bedrooms 219 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,120 to pay for the additional three in time. 220 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:25,239 If she does four and starts working, 221 00:09:25,279 --> 00:09:26,639 she will never do the other three. No. 222 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:30,120 I don't think that's ever going to happen. 223 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:31,639 She'll get bogged down in the business and 224 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:33,239 whatever it requires, then, she'll never do it. Yeah. 225 00:09:33,319 --> 00:09:35,720 And she's not going to make money on four bedrooms. 226 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:39,160 Now is the time to do the seven if she can at all, the extra three. 227 00:09:39,239 --> 00:09:40,720 She has the builders on site. 228 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:42,959 It's not a huge amount of extra work 229 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,760 'cause the basics are all there, and she will make money. 230 00:09:45,839 --> 00:09:47,040 We need to explain that to her 231 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:48,680 and tell her it in black and white. Yeah. 232 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,680 Now, we'll have a chat with her now, so... Yeah. 233 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,919 We'll have a chat with her up here. Damp aul day! Yeah. 234 00:09:56,919 --> 00:10:00,199 In eight months' time, Ciara will open a four bedroomed B&B. 235 00:10:00,959 --> 00:10:04,720 She calls it Phase One, a chance to test the water. 236 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:08,160 But we think she needs to go straight in at the deep end. 237 00:10:08,239 --> 00:10:10,480 First of all, before we go into anything to do with the business, 238 00:10:10,519 --> 00:10:11,639 it is commendable 239 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:15,239 that you have come back from a high-powered job overseas 240 00:10:15,319 --> 00:10:17,879 to open a bed and breakfast in the town of Mitchelstown. 241 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,639 The one thing, Francis leads with the nice things, 242 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:22,120 then I'll come in then, Alright? 243 00:10:22,680 --> 00:10:25,599 B&Bs in the last number of years have all closed. 244 00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:28,760 I don't know when I've heard of a B&B opening, okay? 245 00:10:29,519 --> 00:10:31,319 There is a reason for that happening. 246 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:36,279 And part of the reason is that scale is very, very important. 247 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,080 And four bedrooms is probably on the lower side 248 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,680 of what you can achieve commercially. 249 00:10:43,919 --> 00:10:47,599 If you stay with the four bedrooms, your adrenalin will run out. 250 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:50,400 You'll have lost money over a period, you won't make as much 251 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,000 money as you would hope to do with the other three bedrooms. 252 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:59,680 The extra work that you have to put into doing seven isn't enormous 253 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:02,559 over what the return is going to be, because we do believe 254 00:11:02,599 --> 00:11:04,319 there's a lot of business locally. 255 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,919 Now, it's a big ask, but we just think that the whole business 256 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,760 will be far better with seven rather than four. 257 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:17,800 Part of my reason, I suppose, for breaking the thing in two 258 00:11:17,839 --> 00:11:21,319 is to prove to myself that I can make the four bedrooms 259 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:23,639 work successfully, between the linen and the breakfast 260 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:25,680 and the check-ins and the checkouts and everything, make it work. 261 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,000 Certainly, I'd have to take on a big business loan 262 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,199 to do, say, Phase Two, as we tend to call it, with the three extra, 263 00:11:31,279 --> 00:11:32,959 and then I'm into a lot of pressure 264 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,720 of, you know, having to make a payback in order to meet 265 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,080 that much bigger mortgage or business loan or whatever. 266 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:40,440 And that does make me nervous, I suppose. 267 00:11:40,519 --> 00:11:43,040 But four bedrooms is going to eat you up, 268 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:45,120 because you're planning on doing that yourself. Mm. 269 00:11:45,199 --> 00:11:47,400 And that's where I come back to my adrenalin. 270 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:49,040 That'll keep you going for a while. 271 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:51,160 But when you don't have the money, you expect to make 272 00:11:51,199 --> 00:11:54,080 at the end of every month, then that starts to wane. 273 00:11:56,599 --> 00:11:58,239 Whereas the other three bedrooms 274 00:11:58,279 --> 00:12:01,519 will pay for someone to ease your workload hugely, 275 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:03,559 but also give you a much greater turnover 276 00:12:03,599 --> 00:12:05,319 'cause the business is here. 277 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:10,040 Mm. In my experience, 278 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:13,760 you will never open the three rooms if you don't do it now. 279 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:18,440 Because you will find yourself on an uphill battle 280 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:20,480 with the four rooms, and you cannot see 281 00:12:20,519 --> 00:12:23,519 light at the end of the tunnel with four, where seven, 282 00:12:23,599 --> 00:12:26,839 you'll run at a higher occupancy, you'll have a bigger turnover, 283 00:12:26,919 --> 00:12:28,519 you will have a mortgage, 284 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:30,400 but it'll be payable from the business, 285 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,040 the increase that you have, but you'll have a much finer, 286 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:36,760 finished product the day you open, and a better business. 287 00:12:37,559 --> 00:12:39,160 But that's easy for me to say, 288 00:12:39,199 --> 00:12:40,440 'cause I'm not sitting on that side of the table. 289 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:42,680 Yeah, it is the financial side of things, 290 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:44,120 being on my own, you know, doing it by myself... Yes. 291 00:12:44,199 --> 00:12:45,879 ..is a worry for me, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. 292 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,040 No harm keeping an eye on the finances, 293 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:51,879 but we think there's something Ciara has overlooked. 294 00:12:51,959 --> 00:12:54,279 You have a magnificent apartment 295 00:12:54,319 --> 00:12:56,279 for yourself at the end of the building. Mm-hm. 296 00:12:56,319 --> 00:12:58,760 You could rent that out as well. 297 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:02,519 If finances became tight. 298 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:04,959 Mm-hm. And we could do a job on the sheds 299 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:07,279 across the courtyard where you could live, 300 00:13:07,319 --> 00:13:09,239 or you could go back to Mum and Dad for a couple of years. 301 00:13:09,319 --> 00:13:11,319 Yeah, that is something I would... 302 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:14,599 I'd resent. Because I've been living at home with Mam and Dad 303 00:13:14,639 --> 00:13:17,080 to save to pay for this now for almost four years. 304 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:19,120 It may only be for July and August. 305 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:21,279 Mm. Yes. But that could make all the difference to ya 306 00:13:21,319 --> 00:13:24,000 on the 31st of December when you're doing the yearly accounts. 307 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:25,160 Mm-hm. 308 00:13:25,239 --> 00:13:29,000 If it takes the worry out of you from doing the three rooms, 309 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:30,639 that there's that It's a possibility, 310 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:33,319 If all hell broke loose and you couldn't make ends meet, 311 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:34,879 you could do something maybe. 312 00:13:34,959 --> 00:13:36,559 Did you have any discussion with the builder 313 00:13:36,599 --> 00:13:39,440 in relation to doing the three rooms, on a cost basis? 314 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:41,319 No, we haven't spoken about it. At all? No. 315 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,360 No. So he could price it up fairly snappy. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. 316 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:46,040 Okay. I would do it tomorrow. 317 00:13:48,680 --> 00:13:51,559 Ciara has her site set on an upmarket clientele, 318 00:13:51,599 --> 00:13:53,599 but that clientele needs to be educated 319 00:13:53,639 --> 00:13:55,959 on what Mitchelstown has to offer. 320 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:57,879 Tourism doesn't come overnight. 321 00:13:57,959 --> 00:14:00,279 Mm-hm. There are many, many destinations in in the world 322 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:02,760 that have pumped a tourism agenda for years 323 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:04,160 and still haven't achieved anything. 324 00:14:04,239 --> 00:14:07,480 It's a huge hill to climb, excuse me, now in the Galtees, okay? 325 00:14:07,519 --> 00:14:09,080 (Ciara laughs) But it's a huge hill to climb. 326 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:11,040 So you're starting on a low base. 327 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:14,120 While you have fantastic things going for you, 328 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:16,239 you have to tell the market what it is. 329 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:20,440 So we've left Ciara with a lot to think about. 330 00:14:20,519 --> 00:14:22,680 We want her to start with seven bedrooms, 331 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:24,680 consider renting out her apartment, 332 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,000 and focus on how to attract tourists. 333 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:30,919 But she's struggling with our advice. 334 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:44,480 Four years ago, Ciara O'Brien gave up a successful corporate career 335 00:14:44,519 --> 00:14:47,559 to build and run a B&B in her hometown 336 00:14:47,599 --> 00:14:49,160 of Mitchelstown, County Cork. 337 00:14:50,879 --> 00:14:54,440 Her plan was to open in summer 2024, offering four bedrooms, 338 00:14:54,519 --> 00:14:57,160 then adding three more at a later date. 339 00:14:57,959 --> 00:15:01,160 But we advised her to build all seven upfront. 340 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:06,760 In my experience, you will never open the three rooms 341 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:08,639 if you don't do it now. 342 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:11,120 You know, I really respect their opinion 343 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:13,080 and that they think that I'll do a good job at this, you know, 344 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:16,279 when I... you know probably feel a bit of fake-it-till-you make it. 345 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:20,720 I suppose the recommendation to go to seven bedrooms, I get it, 346 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:22,360 and I really appreciate their ambition, 347 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:24,680 and I really appreciate their kind of positive sentiment, 348 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:26,239 but, I mean, it just feels overwhelming. 349 00:15:26,319 --> 00:15:27,680 I'm doing this on my own. 350 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:29,400 I'm completely maxed out. 351 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:31,239 Yeah, it just feels 352 00:15:31,279 --> 00:15:33,319 kind of an overwhelming thing to think about now. 353 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,360 And Ciara has many other things to consider, 354 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:37,800 one of which is the cost 355 00:15:37,879 --> 00:15:41,319 of the extra three bedrooms, which has absolutely rocketed. 356 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:44,080 We've just had the engineer out to look at the barn, and 357 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:45,839 the roof is full of asbestos. 358 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:49,720 Because there's asbestos in the roof, it's incredibly expensive 359 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:52,279 to get this changed and I actually don't know what I'm going to do. 360 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:53,879 I don't know if I'll ever be able to do this now, 361 00:15:53,919 --> 00:15:56,599 because there's so much money to be spent 362 00:15:56,639 --> 00:15:58,400 just taking the roof off, ever before we actually start 363 00:15:58,480 --> 00:15:59,559 doing any construction work. 364 00:15:59,639 --> 00:16:02,319 So it's very disappointing... 365 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,040 yeah, to find out that actually 366 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:06,319 the dream of doing Phase Two might not be possible. 367 00:16:07,639 --> 00:16:10,279 For now, Ciara has been spared a difficult choice. 368 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,360 It seems the old barn has made that decision for her. 369 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:16,279 I'd probably be looking at somewhere in the range of, 370 00:16:16,319 --> 00:16:18,519 you know, a quarter of a million more of spend. 371 00:16:18,599 --> 00:16:20,319 I'm doing this on my own, 372 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:21,919 I'm completely maxed out, 373 00:16:21,959 --> 00:16:24,760 between, you know, mortgage and spending all of my savings. 374 00:16:24,839 --> 00:16:27,559 Yeah, I just don't really feel in a position to 375 00:16:27,599 --> 00:16:30,839 take on more risk right now. 376 00:16:30,959 --> 00:16:32,639 I don't think I would want to be in a place where I feel 377 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:34,519 so financially exposed that... 378 00:16:34,559 --> 00:16:36,199 yeah, it's the only thing that's on my mind 379 00:16:36,239 --> 00:16:39,279 rather than, you know, giving nice hospitable service to people. 380 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:43,160 So, yeah, for me right now, that kind of taking on more debt, 381 00:16:43,239 --> 00:16:45,319 you know, hundreds of thousands more debt, is just not something 382 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:46,800 that I want to do. 383 00:16:48,239 --> 00:16:49,839 Francis obviously made the suggestion that I 384 00:16:49,879 --> 00:16:51,879 might choose to rent out my 385 00:16:51,919 --> 00:16:53,760 apartment that I'm building for myself and instead live 386 00:16:53,839 --> 00:16:55,239 in one of the outbuildings. 387 00:16:55,319 --> 00:16:58,400 Felt a bit superficial, maybe sensationalist. 388 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:00,800 I hope he didn't sincerely mean that. 389 00:17:00,879 --> 00:17:02,879 You know, I have made a lot of sacrifices. 390 00:17:02,919 --> 00:17:04,519 I've been living with my parents for four years now, 391 00:17:04,559 --> 00:17:05,760 saving up to do this. 392 00:17:05,839 --> 00:17:07,839 And so, yeah, my investment in a 393 00:17:07,879 --> 00:17:10,360 relatively small studio apartment to live in, I feel 394 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:14,120 is my right... (laughs) to have, so that I can be 395 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:16,239 the best person I can be running the business. 396 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:19,480 Well, it's hard to argue with that. 397 00:17:20,120 --> 00:17:23,279 Still, turning a decent profit with only four bedrooms 398 00:17:23,319 --> 00:17:26,959 and no apartment rental will be a real challenge. 399 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,959 It's time to revisit Ciara's business plan. 400 00:17:31,919 --> 00:17:34,800 So now we've decisions made, I hear. Yeah, I do, yeah. 401 00:17:34,839 --> 00:17:36,440 You're not going to do the three rooms? 402 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:38,720 Not at the moment, no. Okay. That's absolutely fine. Yeah. 403 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:41,040 And I fully understand the reasoning behind it, okay? 404 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:43,199 So now I suppose the biggest challenge for us is 405 00:17:43,239 --> 00:17:46,120 to make sense of the whole thing on four rooms. Yeah. 406 00:17:46,199 --> 00:17:47,959 Okay. The first thing that jumps out at me here is 407 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:51,000 the occupancy, okay? Which you're predicting at 60%. 408 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:54,199 I think that's vastly optimistic for year one. 409 00:17:54,279 --> 00:17:56,959 I'd be thinking it should be 40, 45%. 410 00:17:59,959 --> 00:18:03,599 Even at 40%, don't underestimate this business. 411 00:18:03,639 --> 00:18:06,599 This business goes from breakfast from 7:30 in the morning. 412 00:18:06,639 --> 00:18:08,879 That means you have to be in at half six. Mm-hm. Okay? 413 00:18:08,959 --> 00:18:11,199 You'll have someone coming back from a wedding, 414 00:18:11,239 --> 00:18:13,199 and they won't be until two o'clock, three o'clock, 415 00:18:13,239 --> 00:18:14,720 four o'clock in the morning. 416 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:16,959 That's a ferocious day... 417 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:19,760 for the person in the house to be there, 418 00:18:19,839 --> 00:18:22,879 not necessarily working. Yeah. But you are consciously on 419 00:18:22,919 --> 00:18:24,480 at all times. Mm-hm. 420 00:18:24,559 --> 00:18:30,319 So even at 40%, it is a very big ask for you to do everything. 421 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:34,080 But there is cost lines in here, like interiors, 422 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:37,160 and linen wear and tear, bedding, replacement of sheets, 423 00:18:37,199 --> 00:18:38,319 so on and so forth. Mm-hm. Like, 424 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:40,160 they're not going to be incurred year one. 425 00:18:40,239 --> 00:18:43,720 And your 150 per room, your average rate? Yes. 426 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,360 Yeah. Now, what's that based on? 427 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:50,239 Yeah, so say for a hotel in Mitchelstown, 428 00:18:50,279 --> 00:18:52,959 or a nice B&B in Mitchelstown, they would average 429 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,839 about 140 to 150, up to 180 a night. Right, okay. 430 00:18:56,879 --> 00:18:58,879 The worst thing you can do is go in too cheap. 431 00:18:58,919 --> 00:19:02,400 Mm. Because you're doing no one any favours selling too cheap. 432 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,559 Mm-hm. Maybe you could go in at 160. 433 00:19:04,599 --> 00:19:07,199 Mm. Because your product is going to be really, really nice. Mm-hm. 434 00:19:07,239 --> 00:19:09,000 I don't think you can go in at the top 435 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:11,080 if it's 180 is the highest rate in town. 436 00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:13,000 I don't think you can go there, now... Yeah. 437 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:17,080 But you can go a little bit less than that, but above others. 438 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:19,599 Your product is going to be better than the average. 439 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:21,279 There is going to be a very difficult 440 00:19:21,319 --> 00:19:22,559 first twelve months, I think. 441 00:19:22,639 --> 00:19:24,040 (Ciara laughs) Yeah, as long as you keep smiling 442 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:26,000 in twelve months' time. (Ciara laughs) But after that, 443 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:29,639 I have every faith in you and in the property and the style 444 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:31,279 and the whole thing of it that it's going to work. 445 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:35,440 One of the things I'm a bit worried about 446 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:38,040 is his insight on what the occupancy rates will be, 447 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:40,959 you know, 40% year one feels so low, 448 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:43,360 and it just means I have to rethink a lot of the costs 449 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:45,879 that I was hoping to invest in the business year one, so... 450 00:19:45,919 --> 00:19:48,559 that makes me nervous, yeah, that things will be very tight 451 00:19:48,599 --> 00:19:49,680 in year one. 452 00:19:51,919 --> 00:19:55,519 Back on site, there's still a huge amount of work to be done, 453 00:19:55,559 --> 00:19:57,599 and Ciara is feeling the squeeze. 454 00:19:57,639 --> 00:19:59,559 I feel a lot of pressure now at the moment. 455 00:19:59,599 --> 00:20:01,440 I guess, you know, the build continues on, 456 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:03,120 and we have very tight timelines 457 00:20:03,199 --> 00:20:05,239 that we're working towards, and now at the same time, 458 00:20:05,319 --> 00:20:08,000 other things are being introduced, like getting organised about 459 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,199 linens and cleaning supplies... 460 00:20:10,239 --> 00:20:12,319 So there's a lot of decisions to juggle 461 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:14,319 and things to think about every day... 462 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:16,160 My building contractor, 463 00:20:16,199 --> 00:20:17,959 he has an awful lot of tradespeople to coordinate. 464 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:20,680 We needed to choose shower trays the other day suddenly because 465 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:22,319 a tradesperson was here, a plumber was here, 466 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:23,480 and we had to get that done. 467 00:20:23,559 --> 00:20:25,879 So yeah, just trying to keep on top of all the decision-making 468 00:20:25,919 --> 00:20:28,879 is kind of the most stressful, chaotic thing at the moment. 469 00:20:30,519 --> 00:20:32,720 To take Ciara's mind off how things are, 470 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:35,839 I want her to get a taste of how things could be. 471 00:20:35,919 --> 00:20:38,040 Now, here we are in Cahersiveen... Lovely! 472 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:40,319 We're going to go visiting Quinlan & Cooke. 473 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,000 It's run by Kate, a great friend of mine who's 474 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:44,919 been in the hotel business all her life. Yeah. 475 00:20:44,959 --> 00:20:46,279 She just put rooms in here, like, 476 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:48,519 originally, it was a big restaurant, 477 00:20:48,559 --> 00:20:51,559 but now it has rooms, and... doing very well. 478 00:20:52,839 --> 00:20:55,440 Hi, Kate! Hi, Francis! How are ya? Ciara... 479 00:20:55,519 --> 00:20:56,919 Ciara. Delighted to have you here. 480 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:58,599 Now, don't worry about down here, Ciara, 'cause this 481 00:20:58,639 --> 00:21:01,080 is the bar and the restaurant which is not of interest to us today. 482 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:03,519 We're more interested in the rooms upstairs and other things. 483 00:21:03,639 --> 00:21:04,800 Follow me! Okay. Thanks very much. 484 00:21:04,839 --> 00:21:06,639 Thank you. Now, Ciara, here we're in the red room.... 485 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:08,959 Now, so. Oh, it's beautiful! Wow! Thank you. 486 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:11,800 Yeah, now, we just... the finishing touches here... 487 00:21:11,839 --> 00:21:13,639 Yeah. Before the guests come in, like, so our books 488 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:15,480 belong over there, so if you wouldn't mind 489 00:21:15,519 --> 00:21:16,760 placing them up there. Yeah. 490 00:21:16,839 --> 00:21:19,959 I noticed you're quite sparse on furniture here. 491 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,160 Was that an intentional sort of design? Yeah, Ciara, 492 00:21:22,239 --> 00:21:24,639 I don't have any wardrobes. I don't have any drawers. 493 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:27,319 So we've made things like... I got these pegs made, 494 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:29,080 so people hang their clothes off there. Oh, clever, yeah. 495 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:32,080 And most people are only with you for one night or two nights. Mm-hm. 496 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,080 You know, so they don't need 497 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:36,239 the whole walk-in wardrobe space or whatever. 498 00:21:36,319 --> 00:21:38,120 So when people leave the room, 499 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:40,239 they can see exactly that they have everything in their bag. Yeah. 500 00:21:40,319 --> 00:21:42,760 And we're not chasing them afterwards with postage 501 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:44,080 and trying to contact them, and you know... 502 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,080 But the furniture is quirky. Yes. 503 00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:48,000 Which is nice. Quirky and functional. 504 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:50,800 You know, it's all very about... relaxing in your room. 505 00:21:50,839 --> 00:21:53,760 From a cleaning point of view, fantastic. 100%. 506 00:21:57,120 --> 00:21:59,879 Just like Ciara, Kate started small. 507 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,480 In the last 24 years, she's grown her business to include 11 rooms, 508 00:22:04,519 --> 00:22:07,879 each one filled with clever, quirky innovations, 509 00:22:07,919 --> 00:22:11,319 that I hope will inspire Ciara, like these soaps 510 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:14,360 made for the guests from recycled coffee grounds. 511 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:16,919 Do they get fresh fruit? They get fresh fruit. 512 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,080 Kate also has a really fresh take on breakfast. 513 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:23,080 Our whole breakfast concept is a little bit different to 514 00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:26,360 the normal bed and breakfast, so it's in-your-room experience. 515 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:29,239 And these are put in the night before in the fridge? Exactly. 516 00:22:29,279 --> 00:22:31,400 Everything is there, so, Francis, you can have your breakfast 517 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:32,720 when you check in if you want to. Yeah. 518 00:22:33,239 --> 00:22:35,519 You can have your breakfast before you go to bed. (laughter) 519 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:38,959 Well, there you are. 520 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,040 Food for thought on a cold morning. 521 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:42,680 But it'll be another six months 522 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:45,599 before anyone has breakfast at Barnahown. 523 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:48,959 It looks very... trendy from this angle! (Ciara laughs) 524 00:22:49,919 --> 00:22:53,239 I'm just hoping the place hasn't gone into hibernation. 525 00:22:53,279 --> 00:22:55,559 So great progress, we've just finished first fix, 526 00:22:55,599 --> 00:22:57,199 so electrics, plumbing, and so on. Oh, great! 527 00:22:57,279 --> 00:22:59,680 And also we've almost finished the external plastering, 528 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:01,559 and we're starting to slab the walls internally. 529 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:06,599 To help Ciara keep her cost down, Mam, Dad, and Zoe the dog 530 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:08,720 are more than happy to give her a dig-out 531 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:11,519 with a bit of light landscaping. 532 00:23:11,599 --> 00:23:13,919 Well, you're very brave coming out in weather like this. (laughter) 533 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,040 Are you thrilled to have the daughter back 534 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:18,879 in the country, having been in the corporate world for years? 535 00:23:18,959 --> 00:23:20,519 It's great to have her back near us again. Yeah. Yeah. 536 00:23:20,599 --> 00:23:22,040 Yeah, she was away for so long. 537 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:23,440 She was away a long number of years. 538 00:23:23,519 --> 00:23:24,800 She was away for 20 years. 539 00:23:24,879 --> 00:23:26,959 And there's great support behind her, 540 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:28,400 I must say, and you're great yourselves, 541 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:29,639 giving her the aul' boost. 542 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:31,639 It was a dream she's had for many years. 543 00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:33,720 She often, when I was out in Singapore with her, 544 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:36,400 she was often talking to me about this old farm place, and 545 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:38,120 she'd like to do it up, and... 546 00:23:38,199 --> 00:23:40,480 Now she's bringing it to fruition here, and it's... 547 00:23:40,519 --> 00:23:42,919 it's fabulous to see everyone involved in it. Yeah. 548 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,160 If you want to breathe new life into an old building, 549 00:23:48,199 --> 00:23:49,879 you need to strike the right balance 550 00:23:49,919 --> 00:23:52,000 between modern and traditional decor. 551 00:23:52,639 --> 00:23:56,760 Enter Ciara's friend, interior designer, Catherine O'Flynn. 552 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:58,720 Hi, Catherine. How are you? 553 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:00,959 Hello. How are ya? Lovely to meet you. Nice to meet you. 554 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:03,760 And you, too. Your hands are cold! (laughter) 555 00:24:04,319 --> 00:24:06,599 So everything we've chosen for the project project is 556 00:24:06,639 --> 00:24:07,639 inspired by nature. 557 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:09,839 From the minute you enter this beautiful house, 558 00:24:09,879 --> 00:24:11,879 you're going to see all the colours 559 00:24:11,959 --> 00:24:13,160 right from the front door to the back door. 560 00:24:13,239 --> 00:24:15,360 Blended all the way through. Blended all the way through. That's lovely. 561 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,120 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so we've lots of pinks and green... 562 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:20,040 And that's a very good hard-wearing fabric. 563 00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:21,239 Really good, yeah. I know by feeling it. 564 00:24:21,319 --> 00:24:22,400 Now, what about flooring? 565 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:23,559 What are we doing there? 566 00:24:23,639 --> 00:24:25,599 We have a terrazzo floor, don't we, throughout? 567 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,199 Yes, a beautiful polished concrete floor. Polished concrete, yeah. 568 00:24:28,239 --> 00:24:31,440 And the lampshades, are they for bedrooms or public spaces? 569 00:24:31,519 --> 00:24:33,959 So this is for just the wall lights that we're showing you today. 570 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:35,959 And now, if I'm reading the newspaper at breakfast, 571 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:37,239 will I have a good light? You will. 572 00:24:37,279 --> 00:24:38,879 You'll definitely have a good light. I'll hold you to that now. 573 00:24:38,959 --> 00:24:39,959 Okay! (laughs) 574 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,360 So we've chosen this fabric for the headboards 575 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,160 in the front two bedrooms. Right. 576 00:24:44,239 --> 00:24:47,400 We're going to use some velvet as well on the headboard, as a border. 577 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,120 That moss green is the very same as I have at home! (laughs) 578 00:24:50,199 --> 00:24:51,839 Very good! So bonus points! Alright. 579 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:59,239 So this is the floor tile we're using for the en-suites. 580 00:24:59,279 --> 00:25:01,879 Yeah, and they're non-slip. Non-slip, yes. 581 00:25:01,919 --> 00:25:03,639 So we've gone with the vintage-looking tile. 582 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:05,239 And then this is the wall tile? Yeah. 583 00:25:05,279 --> 00:25:06,319 They're lovely. Yeah. 584 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:08,040 And there's what I call a wobble in them... 585 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,480 Okay. Which is very handy for two things. 586 00:25:10,559 --> 00:25:13,519 One is it catches the light... Yes. And number two, then, it just... 587 00:25:13,559 --> 00:25:16,040 then if you get a watermark on it, you don't see it. That's right. 588 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,080 Ciara knows were worried about her setting up a B&B 589 00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:22,519 this far from the beaten track. 590 00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:25,120 But if she can connect Barnahown 591 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:27,199 to the charms of the surrounding area, 592 00:25:27,279 --> 00:25:30,919 it will benefit her business and also local tourism. 593 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:33,559 And why do people come here, specifically? 594 00:25:33,639 --> 00:25:35,680 So this is a very renowned hiking area. 595 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,279 There are lots of beautiful, well-marked walks and trails 596 00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:40,040 for all different levels of hiking. 597 00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:42,720 Right. And obviously, it's an area of outstanding natural beauty. 598 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:44,239 Sure, listen, that'd do your heart good 599 00:25:44,279 --> 00:25:46,400 just to stop and look at that. (Ciara laughs) Exactly. 600 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:48,360 We're out in a very rural area, 601 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,080 so I'm hoping in Barnahown to be able to offer people 602 00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:53,120 a package, you know, so you'll come to do some hiking. 603 00:25:53,199 --> 00:25:55,879 I'll help you plan your trails, maybe where to go for dinner, 604 00:25:55,959 --> 00:25:57,440 where to see a show in the evening, 605 00:25:57,480 --> 00:25:59,400 how to visit some heritage in the area. 606 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:01,559 It's stunningly beautiful. Absolutely. 607 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,959 It's great to see there's been a lot of progress on site. 608 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,800 We're at a really nice stage of the project now. 609 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,919 All of the walls have been insulated and plastered. 610 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,279 We have people working now on polishing the concrete floor. 611 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:24,680 This is one of the biggest investments we're making 612 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:26,319 in the project, and it's one of the biggest jobs 613 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:28,400 that we have to do. So I'll be delighted 614 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:29,919 to see it when it's finished. 615 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,160 You can kinda really see it coming together now, 616 00:26:32,199 --> 00:26:35,279 getting ready for the second fix and all the finishes 617 00:26:35,319 --> 00:26:36,559 and the decor inside. 618 00:26:38,360 --> 00:26:40,639 Outside, however, there's been a major setback. 619 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:42,080 We had a problem with the roof, 620 00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:44,879 so that's meant I've had to juggle the budget around, 621 00:26:44,919 --> 00:26:47,160 and I had to eat into my landscaping budget 622 00:26:47,199 --> 00:26:48,319 quite a lot to pay for that. 623 00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:51,239 So that's putting us under quite a bit of pressure now. 624 00:26:51,279 --> 00:26:53,959 I had hoped to open the first week of June. 625 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:56,639 It may now be the third or fourth week of June. 626 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:12,879 Four years ago, Ciara O'Brien was a successful corporate accountant. 627 00:27:12,919 --> 00:27:15,720 Now, she's about to open her own four-bed bed and breakfast 628 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,199 in Mitchelstown, County Cork. 629 00:27:19,559 --> 00:27:23,000 Ciara is all about sustainability, so today I'm bringing her to see 630 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:26,040 a business with serious eco-credentials. 631 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:29,360 Next stop, Hotel Doolin in County Clare, 632 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:31,559 and we won't be arriving by car. 633 00:27:31,959 --> 00:27:34,360 Just over the bridge here, we're on our way then. 634 00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:38,319 Ooh! I wasn't made for an electric bike, I'd say. 635 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:40,599 I'm not sure I can get on here now. (Ciara laughs) 636 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:44,639 I have to push the bike up the hill! (Ciara laughs) 637 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:46,279 Now I'm grand. 638 00:27:46,319 --> 00:27:48,800 Oh, it's at that... the extra kicked in! You got it? 639 00:27:48,839 --> 00:27:50,360 (Ciara laughs) 640 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:55,959 Arrah, I'm pedalling like mad, nothing's happening. (Ciara laughs) 641 00:27:56,199 --> 00:27:58,080 Will you hold on there, for God's sake? (Ciara laughs) 642 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:00,120 You're 10 years younger than me. 643 00:28:00,199 --> 00:28:01,760 You have to allow for my age! 644 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:08,160 Hotel Doolin has made a name for itself for its sustainability, 645 00:28:08,199 --> 00:28:11,000 and we want Ciara to find out how they did it. 646 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:12,839 Wow, look at this. Isn't it nice? 647 00:28:12,919 --> 00:28:15,319 Beautiful, yeah. Isn't this area so nice? 648 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:16,639 It gives me a great idea 649 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:18,879 for connecting my house to the outdoor dining. Absolutely. Yeah. 650 00:28:18,919 --> 00:28:20,519 I see you have solar panels. 651 00:28:20,599 --> 00:28:21,919 Yeah, these solar panels 652 00:28:21,959 --> 00:28:24,559 provide 30% of our electricity over the year. 653 00:28:24,639 --> 00:28:27,040 So they'll pay for themselves in three and a half years. 654 00:28:27,360 --> 00:28:31,519 Weddings hosted at the hotel's Eco Barn aren't just white. 655 00:28:31,599 --> 00:28:33,360 They're also green. 656 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:35,040 Today, we've a wedding at four o'clock, 657 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:40,080 and we like to encourage our couples to use living centrepieces. 658 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,680 So here you see that these are potted plants. 659 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:44,760 It's local heather. Yeah. They can take them away with them 660 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:46,599 afterwards, and they can plant them at home. 661 00:28:46,639 --> 00:28:48,800 You must have rows over that, do you? (laughter) 662 00:28:48,839 --> 00:28:49,839 Very good. 663 00:28:49,879 --> 00:28:53,120 So food-wise, now, what do you offer that's more sustainable than others? 664 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,000 So it's a 90-kilometre menu, so all the food on the table 665 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:57,680 will be from within 90 kilometres. 666 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:00,639 We also have our vegan menu here, which we won awards for, 667 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:02,239 so we're the first hotel in the country to 668 00:29:02,279 --> 00:29:03,480 do a fully vegan package 669 00:29:03,559 --> 00:29:06,279 right through from the starters to main course, desserts, cake, 670 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:07,360 wedding cake, evenings... 671 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:10,959 For every wedding, we plant 10 native trees. 672 00:29:11,319 --> 00:29:12,879 We do up to 100 weddings a year. 673 00:29:12,919 --> 00:29:14,760 So that's a thousand... That's a forest. 674 00:29:14,839 --> 00:29:16,879 That's very handy as well for offsetting carbon. 675 00:29:16,959 --> 00:29:19,639 We're also Ireland's first certified carbon-neutral hotel. 676 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,160 These are made from reclaimed wood that we had in the yard. 677 00:29:26,239 --> 00:29:27,480 Right! I just got the steel frame for them. 678 00:29:27,559 --> 00:29:29,160 Yeah! So we made the furniture ourselves. 679 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:33,680 I couldn't help noticing on the way in, these beautiful baskets. 680 00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:34,800 What's the story behind them? 681 00:29:34,879 --> 00:29:36,879 Yeah, so a friend of ours who was the architect here, spotted them 682 00:29:36,959 --> 00:29:40,239 in Galway and they're eel baskets, so... From the fishermen? 683 00:29:40,319 --> 00:29:42,279 Yeah, from the fishermen. So he thought they'd make 684 00:29:42,319 --> 00:29:44,440 lovely lamps for over the bar. So here they are! 685 00:29:45,319 --> 00:29:48,120 I noticed on the front of the bar here, are they barrels? 686 00:29:48,199 --> 00:29:50,319 Yeah, so we had old whiskey barrels, 687 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:51,720 so again, we decided to reuse them. 688 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:52,919 We took the timber from them 689 00:29:52,959 --> 00:29:54,279 and put them at the front of the bar 690 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:55,360 to make the bar front. 691 00:29:57,879 --> 00:29:59,639 Donal you've some beautiful features here. 692 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,559 I can't believe that you have fresh flowers in every room. 693 00:30:02,639 --> 00:30:04,800 And I love the wooden signs, the handmade signs. 694 00:30:04,879 --> 00:30:06,760 They're absolutely stunning. 695 00:30:06,839 --> 00:30:09,000 This is based on kind of the inside of a curragh. 696 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:10,360 Oh, yeah, the curragh! Yeah, yeah! 697 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:13,400 As I look around the room now, I don't see any artwork. 698 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:15,360 This is art enough! Good man, yeah! (Ciara laughs) 699 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,279 By the yard rather than by the picture. (laughs) 700 00:30:19,599 --> 00:30:23,000 So one thing we've no shortage of around here is the rain. 701 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:25,199 Yeah. So what do we do with the rainwater? 702 00:30:25,279 --> 00:30:26,639 So the rainwater falls in the roofs, 703 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:28,480 goes into the gutters, comes down in here, 704 00:30:28,559 --> 00:30:30,000 and right under our feet here 705 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:31,919 is a six and a half thousand litre tank. 706 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:36,239 Oh! So we use it for washing windows, power-hosing... 707 00:30:36,319 --> 00:30:38,120 We use it for our polytunnel. Right. 708 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:40,080 I couldn't help but notice this beautiful symbol. 709 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:41,760 What is Doolin Arts? 710 00:30:41,839 --> 00:30:45,160 It's a non-profit for supporting arts and artists in North Clare. 711 00:30:45,239 --> 00:30:48,120 We run two annual festivals, the Doolin Folk Festival, 712 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:49,519 Doolin Hedge School... 713 00:30:49,599 --> 00:30:52,080 We run gigs and events throughout the year for local artists. 714 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:55,680 Alright. We publish books, we release records and music, 715 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:58,279 help produce films and plays as well. 716 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:01,040 I'm really keen to be part of the community and integrated. 717 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:02,480 Does that work with the hotel? 718 00:31:02,559 --> 00:31:03,639 We want to be the centre of the community, 719 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:05,120 do you know, as I'm sure you do with your own business. Yeah. 720 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:07,519 You know, so it's a great way of bringing life into the business 721 00:31:07,559 --> 00:31:10,080 as well, you know, and spreading it around. 722 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:13,519 Francis, that was excellent. Yes, did you learn a lot? 723 00:31:13,599 --> 00:31:15,160 Yeah, it was really informative. 724 00:31:15,199 --> 00:31:17,360 Yeah. They were great. That's good. That's what it was all about. 725 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,360 But listen, I still don't know, why did we come by bike? 726 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,400 (laughs) There's a reason. 727 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:25,360 If you arrive at Hotel Doolin on a bike, right... Mm-hm... 728 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,800 You get 10% discount. Okay. And also you get a free cup of tea! 729 00:31:28,959 --> 00:31:32,080 Ahhh! So we got the tea, we didn't stay, though. (Ciara laughs) Right. 730 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:33,279 Perfect! 731 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:35,000 Come on, hurry up! Oh! 732 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:36,160 I got the whoosh! 733 00:31:36,199 --> 00:31:37,199 So it's working! 734 00:31:44,199 --> 00:31:45,879 You'll help me, will you? (child's voice) Yes! 735 00:31:45,959 --> 00:31:47,599 We have to put these up here. 736 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:48,959 Can you stack them for me? Yes. 737 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:51,440 Inspired by Hotel Doolin's art enterprise, 738 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:55,120 Ciara is keen to integrate her own business into the community. 739 00:31:55,199 --> 00:31:57,480 So she's joining forces with her friends 740 00:31:57,519 --> 00:32:00,800 Bernadette and Mikey to host a photography exhibition 741 00:32:00,839 --> 00:32:02,519 at their café in town. 742 00:32:02,599 --> 00:32:05,599 And I have my two sales assistants here. Lovely! 743 00:32:05,639 --> 00:32:07,400 Who are going to support me in my sales. 744 00:32:07,599 --> 00:32:08,720 Oh, hello! 745 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:10,239 Are you going to do some? 746 00:32:10,959 --> 00:32:14,639 On show today are photos of Ciara's favourite Cork landscapes 747 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:17,040 captured by her friend, Tommy McDonnell. 748 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:21,040 So we're here setting up for Tommy's photography exhibition. 749 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:23,279 Tommy is a very prolific photographer 750 00:32:23,319 --> 00:32:24,559 around the Galtee Mountains, 751 00:32:24,599 --> 00:32:27,639 and he really specialises in nature and wildlife, 752 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:29,879 and this is his first formal exhibition. 753 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:33,559 When Ciara opens Barnahown in the summer, 754 00:32:33,599 --> 00:32:36,040 Tommy will have a permanent display for his photos. 755 00:32:36,879 --> 00:32:39,919 I think what would work best for Barnahown 756 00:32:39,959 --> 00:32:42,800 is the Galtymore at sunset with the person taking a step. 757 00:32:42,879 --> 00:32:46,199 I guess it shows the iconic cross on top of Galtymore. 758 00:32:46,279 --> 00:32:50,000 Local collaborations like this are great for enhancing tourism 759 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:51,199 and attracting visitors. 760 00:32:53,639 --> 00:32:56,440 But we think Ciara might be taking on too much. 761 00:32:56,519 --> 00:32:59,360 After all, she'll be doing everything on her own 762 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:01,639 with no hospitality experience. 763 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:03,440 Hi, Lucy! How are you? 764 00:33:03,519 --> 00:33:05,639 We've arranged a visit her Bridge Street Townhouse 765 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:07,440 in Kenmare to meet Lucy O'Sullivan. 766 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:09,800 This is my twin room. 767 00:33:09,839 --> 00:33:11,480 And how many twin rooms do you have? 768 00:33:11,519 --> 00:33:12,519 We have six in the house. 769 00:33:12,559 --> 00:33:15,760 Lucy owns and runs this guest house all by herself and gets 770 00:33:15,839 --> 00:33:18,120 consistent five-star reviews. 771 00:33:18,199 --> 00:33:20,599 You've gorgeous plants around. Is that a lot of maintenance, 772 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:22,879 or...? Yes. And they are my babies. (Ciara laughs) 773 00:33:22,959 --> 00:33:25,519 My very first boss, he told me to always have plants 774 00:33:25,559 --> 00:33:26,559 'cause people know you care. 775 00:33:26,639 --> 00:33:28,440 Your art, actually, I noticed. It's lovely. 776 00:33:28,519 --> 00:33:29,559 How do you go about selecting that? 777 00:33:29,639 --> 00:33:31,639 I try and buy all local. 778 00:33:31,879 --> 00:33:34,120 So I'm kind of trying to work out at the moment 779 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:37,040 how long it might take to either clean a room or change over a room. 780 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:38,279 Say for a bathroom like this, 781 00:33:38,319 --> 00:33:39,879 how long would you allow time-wise for cleaning? 782 00:33:39,959 --> 00:33:42,199 About 20 minutes. 20 minutes just for the bathroom? 783 00:33:42,279 --> 00:33:43,319 But I Hoover all the doors and everything, like. 784 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:45,680 Okay! I would die if someone found a hair. 785 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:48,319 I'll tell you what, it's kind of like a system. 786 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:50,639 When people leave and you run around, you change all the beds. 787 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:53,800 Yeah. Then you run around, and you do all the bathrooms. Mm. 788 00:33:53,879 --> 00:33:57,239 And then you run around and you do all your dusting or whatever, 789 00:33:57,319 --> 00:34:00,199 and then you Hoover and mop. Okay. The last of all. 790 00:34:00,239 --> 00:34:02,680 But it actually, for me, it takes longer to do one room 791 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:05,360 individually from top to bottom as opposed to 792 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:06,720 Following the process. Following 793 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:08,519 the process. Okay, that's really interesting, actually. Yeah. 794 00:34:08,559 --> 00:34:10,319 'Cause I probably would have gone one room at a time. 795 00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:12,239 But you're saying better to do everything in a batch. 796 00:34:12,319 --> 00:34:14,480 'Cause you just get a big long extension lead for your Hoover. 797 00:34:14,559 --> 00:34:17,680 As we know, B&B is nothing without breakfast. 798 00:34:17,720 --> 00:34:20,959 Fortunately, Lucy is a self-taught expert. 799 00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:25,239 I started off with a continental, a cheeseboard, fresh pastry, 800 00:34:25,319 --> 00:34:28,239 some charcuterie, and it didn't cut it. 801 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:31,919 In a very short period of time, I went on to a hot breakfast menu. 802 00:34:31,959 --> 00:34:36,239 Okay. But I have to say it's the winning factor in my business. 803 00:34:36,319 --> 00:34:38,319 It's actually a great way to get to speak with your guests 804 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:39,559 and build a relationship with them, too. Yeah. 805 00:34:39,639 --> 00:34:41,919 I don't think I'd have the business today without it. 806 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:45,000 As you think then about, say, pricing and occupancy rates, 807 00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:48,279 and do you vary your prices through the year, high season, low season? 808 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:50,480 Actually, because I'm a one-ma n band, 809 00:34:50,519 --> 00:34:53,000 I put up a lot of minimum two nights, 810 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,040 because, to keep out... Yeah. 811 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:57,519 a party crowd because I wouldn't manage them by myself. Mm-hm. 812 00:34:57,559 --> 00:35:01,120 Consistently throughout the year, I am the same price, really. 813 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:02,559 Okay. You know. 814 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:06,080 Great to see you! Bye! Bye bye! 815 00:35:09,639 --> 00:35:11,599 It's April, and the site is buzzing. 816 00:35:13,959 --> 00:35:17,599 Despite a few worrying setbacks along the way, a lot has been done. 817 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:19,480 But we want to make sure that every cent 818 00:35:19,519 --> 00:35:22,720 of Ciara's half a million Euro budget is well spent. 819 00:35:24,279 --> 00:35:26,040 So a big day this week now, John! 820 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:27,839 We have the electricity going on, 821 00:35:27,879 --> 00:35:29,440 and that means underfloor heating on, 822 00:35:29,519 --> 00:35:32,160 and we can put in the kitchen after that. Okay, fantastic, great. 823 00:35:32,199 --> 00:35:33,919 Okay, so you'll get it dried out fully then. 824 00:35:33,959 --> 00:35:35,720 Exactly. Yeah, yeah. So a U-shaped kitchen? 825 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:37,080 Exactly, U-shaped, yeah. 826 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:39,360 From the worktop, then, are you tiling up the wall or anything? 827 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:40,639 I'll tile halfway up. Halfway, now, 828 00:35:40,720 --> 00:35:42,080 good splashback is great. Yeah. 829 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:43,599 Otherwise, you'll be painting the whole thing, 830 00:35:43,639 --> 00:35:45,360 it's a pain in the neck. Yeah. And you've nothing 831 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:46,400 on the units on the top then? 832 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:48,040 No, I think I'll probably put shelving in 833 00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:50,080 at the wall level once I know what I need. 834 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:51,599 No, it'll be very nice. Mm-hm! 835 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:53,000 So a person could come in here 836 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:54,519 and make a cup of tea if they wanted. 837 00:35:54,599 --> 00:35:57,800 Yeah, I think I'll leave it open the evenings when service closes. 838 00:35:57,879 --> 00:35:59,000 Yeah, yeah. 839 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:01,760 An honesty teapot. Exactly, exactly. 840 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:07,239 Now, there's a lot to a project like this, isn't there? 841 00:36:07,319 --> 00:36:08,480 There is. 842 00:36:08,559 --> 00:36:10,519 I suppose the biggest challenge we had was 843 00:36:10,559 --> 00:36:12,440 with the rear roof, the corrugate roof. 844 00:36:12,519 --> 00:36:14,000 That wasn't performing as expected. 845 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:15,800 It was condensating and weeping, 846 00:36:15,839 --> 00:36:17,639 and in the end, we had to take the call to take it off 847 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:21,000 and put a rubber, more like a flat roof material on there. 848 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:24,199 So that's solved now, but it was time and hassle... And money. 849 00:36:24,279 --> 00:36:25,279 And some money. And some money. 850 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:28,040 And talking about money now, where are you on budget? 851 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:30,959 I've had maybe 10,000 to overspend because of that roof. 852 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:33,239 So I'm down to kinda that tight 853 00:36:33,279 --> 00:36:34,800 phase now where I have a certain amount left to spend 854 00:36:34,879 --> 00:36:36,319 and I'm having to make choices. 855 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:38,400 So, like, window treatments I'm on now at the moment, 856 00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:40,559 I was hoping to have them all done. 857 00:36:40,599 --> 00:36:41,599 I won't have the dining room done 858 00:36:41,639 --> 00:36:43,959 because I have to get the bedrooms done and the blackouts done. 859 00:36:46,239 --> 00:36:48,879 Okay, now we're within that of opening, 860 00:36:48,919 --> 00:36:50,680 which is a credit to you, okay? 861 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:52,760 When I came here day one, I was worried about you 862 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:54,279 'cause you were coming from a corporate life 863 00:36:54,319 --> 00:36:57,760 into a developer's life and then into a hospitality life. 864 00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:00,040 I'm a bit tired... 865 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:01,519 Yeah. It's been busy, but I'm excited. 866 00:37:01,599 --> 00:37:04,839 I suppose I'm kind of ready now for the next phase to get going. 867 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:11,760 At times like this, it's easy to get hung up on the details, 868 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:15,120 but we have to keep Ciara's head focused on the big picture. 869 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:18,879 So now we're meeting Triona, who's the marketing officer 870 00:37:18,919 --> 00:37:21,160 for the Munster Vales... Oh, great! ..who's responsible 871 00:37:21,199 --> 00:37:22,919 for marketing the whole area, okay? 872 00:37:24,199 --> 00:37:25,839 So what can Munster Vales do for Ciara? 873 00:37:25,919 --> 00:37:28,480 We can put you in touch with the other businesses in the region. 874 00:37:28,559 --> 00:37:30,559 We've a really strong tourism network. 875 00:37:30,639 --> 00:37:32,440 We could introduce you to the different businesses 876 00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:34,120 so that they're aware of your offering 877 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:36,839 and can send visitors to you and vice versa. Great. 878 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:41,360 Also, Pure Cork, covers Cork City and county is a great one. 879 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:42,440 Okay, just do me a favor. 880 00:37:42,519 --> 00:37:44,559 Will you say that one again? The Cork one. What was it? 881 00:37:44,599 --> 00:37:46,959 (in exaggerated accent) Pure Cork! (laughter) 882 00:37:49,279 --> 00:37:51,720 Hidden Heartlands is beautifully named, 883 00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:53,080 but we don't want it hidden. 884 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:55,360 So what can we do to unhide it? 885 00:37:55,720 --> 00:37:58,040 By promoting the smaller hidden gems, 886 00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:01,959 the authentic experiences that yo u don't get in the larger areas 887 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:03,680 where you're contending with big tour buses, 888 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:06,040 large crowds, high prices. 889 00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:09,040 Here we have lower prices, less crowds to contend with. 890 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:10,879 You're describing promoting off the beaten track. 891 00:38:10,959 --> 00:38:12,480 Yes, exactly. And that to me is key. 892 00:38:12,559 --> 00:38:14,440 And that's the way tourism is going in the future. 893 00:38:14,519 --> 00:38:16,319 They're looking for that authentic experience. 894 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:18,360 And I think you have an awful lot to offer here. 895 00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,919 Marketing won't be the only challenge for Ciara. 896 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,080 To make sure her business runs smoothly, 897 00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:30,000 there's an engine to be maintained. 898 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:35,839 So this is the plant room, and this absolutely It really terrifies me. 899 00:38:35,919 --> 00:38:37,279 There's so much equipment in here. 900 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,599 I never realized how much I would be left to take care of. 901 00:38:40,639 --> 00:38:42,720 It reminds me of being inside in, I dunno, the cockpit 902 00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:44,120 of a jumbo jet or something. 903 00:38:44,199 --> 00:38:46,080 Yeah, hopefully I'll get used to it over time, 904 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:48,000 but it's a lot to take on board. 905 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:52,080 Not too much more work to be done here. 906 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:53,120 Obviously, it needs to be tidied off, 907 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:55,360 but the main work is me trying to figure out 908 00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:58,199 maintenance schedules and how to know if something's wrong. 909 00:38:58,279 --> 00:39:00,400 That's actually the work I have to do now. 910 00:39:01,720 --> 00:39:03,959 (laughs) Oh, my God. 911 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:05,480 All works! 912 00:39:05,519 --> 00:39:07,080 Looks good! 913 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:10,360 Ciara's sustainable ethos is still to the fore. 914 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:12,680 Why buy new when you can recycle? 915 00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:13,760 I love the colour. 916 00:39:13,839 --> 00:39:16,199 The colour is so vibrant. I love it. 917 00:39:16,279 --> 00:39:18,040 It's so cosy-looking. 918 00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:20,000 So that's a hardwood kitchen 919 00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:23,879 that I bought, and my dad and I disassembled it ourselves. 920 00:39:23,959 --> 00:39:27,519 And yeah, one of our local joiners here sprayed it for me. 921 00:39:27,599 --> 00:39:29,720 So it looks amazing. It looks like a new kitchen. 922 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:30,919 I can't believe it! 923 00:39:32,559 --> 00:39:36,519 So this life, obviously, is quite different to my corporate life. 924 00:39:36,599 --> 00:39:38,120 When you're working, you have people 925 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:39,879 to do lots of different things for you, and specialists, 926 00:39:39,919 --> 00:39:42,199 whereas here, I kind of have to do a bit of everything, 927 00:39:42,279 --> 00:39:43,839 whether it's construction or interior design 928 00:39:43,879 --> 00:39:45,120 or taking the bookings. 929 00:39:45,199 --> 00:39:46,239 It's all on me now. 930 00:39:46,319 --> 00:39:48,800 So, yeah, I suppose that reality is dawning on me now 931 00:39:48,839 --> 00:39:51,559 that everything is kind of sitting on my shoulders. 932 00:39:51,639 --> 00:39:53,879 And obviously, I think, then, combined with the time pressure, 933 00:39:53,959 --> 00:39:55,519 you know, there's six weeks now to go, 934 00:39:55,559 --> 00:39:57,199 and there's still so much work to be done. 935 00:39:57,279 --> 00:39:59,360 Like, the outside is quite a mess still. 936 00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:01,519 So, yeah, I feel a lot of pressure now, 937 00:40:01,559 --> 00:40:03,800 I suppose, to make sure the things are good enough, 938 00:40:03,839 --> 00:40:05,959 that, you know, I feel proud when we open that it's good enough 939 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:07,040 for the guests to come in. 940 00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:17,279 By early July, Barnahown is ready to open its doors, and Ciara has 941 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:18,959 already booked her first guest. 942 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:22,319 And let's just say he's very, very discerning. 943 00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:23,879 So Francis is on his way. 944 00:40:23,919 --> 00:40:25,040 He's going to check in shortly, 945 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:27,160 and I'm trying to just get some nice fresh 946 00:40:27,239 --> 00:40:29,480 Irish fruit ready for his breakfast in the morning. 947 00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:33,440 So, yeah, I hope everything is to his standards. 948 00:40:33,519 --> 00:40:35,680 (Francis) Well, now we'll see about that! 949 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:44,400 Hi, Ciara! Welcome back, Francis. How are you? Great to be here! 950 00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:46,559 I thought you'd be pure grey by now. Not at all! 951 00:40:46,639 --> 00:40:47,639 Come in. You're looking great. 952 00:40:47,720 --> 00:40:49,040 Thank you very much. 953 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:51,919 It's a damp aul' evening. Awful, isn't it? 954 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:54,319 You'll be cosy here. Now, where am I going? 955 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:56,199 So this is your room key. Alright. 956 00:40:56,279 --> 00:40:58,239 You're top of the stairs on the right. 957 00:41:01,319 --> 00:41:03,040 I have arrived! 958 00:41:04,839 --> 00:41:08,599 Well, initially, it looks very nice. 959 00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:10,839 I love the floorboards. 960 00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:13,959 And of course, this finish, the lime finish, 961 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:15,839 is forever and it's just gorgeous. 962 00:41:15,919 --> 00:41:17,599 It gets nicer as it gets older. 963 00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:19,599 And I love that wood finish. 964 00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:21,760 I hope it doesn't stain on her now, but it's very nice, and it's 965 00:41:21,839 --> 00:41:24,360 throughout the room, which is lovely. Her bed is lovely. 966 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:25,639 Her bed head is lovely. 967 00:41:27,319 --> 00:41:28,360 Now, I love those. 968 00:41:28,440 --> 00:41:31,519 We saw those with Kate down in Cahersiveen. 969 00:41:31,599 --> 00:41:33,639 They're very simple, and it's all that people want 970 00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:35,040 for one or two nights' stay. 971 00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:37,440 Great sliding door, and I love that paint finish 972 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:39,040 because it brings the countryside in 973 00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:41,000 to the bedroom, which is very nice. 974 00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:42,760 And the bathroom is lovely. 975 00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:45,279 I'm really thrilled. 976 00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:46,919 The bedroom is absolutely lovely, 977 00:41:46,959 --> 00:41:48,599 and everything in there looks lovely. 978 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:50,080 I'm looking forward to getting into the bed 979 00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:51,120 for a good night's sleep. 980 00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:07,519 Ah! That's lovely. 981 00:42:10,519 --> 00:42:13,199 And the duvet is gorgeous as well. 982 00:42:14,199 --> 00:42:15,879 Goodnight, sweetheart! 983 00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:27,080 I had a great sleep. 984 00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:30,599 Bed lovely, loads of hot water, lovely towels, everything. 985 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:31,959 And you know, it was very quiet, 986 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:33,160 'cause it's quite close to the road, 987 00:42:33,239 --> 00:42:34,760 and I thought that might be a problem. 988 00:42:34,839 --> 00:42:35,959 I didn't hear a thing. 989 00:42:36,040 --> 00:42:38,239 But of course, the breakfast is very important, 990 00:42:38,279 --> 00:42:39,800 so we'll see how that goes. 991 00:42:42,480 --> 00:42:44,319 Morning, Ciara. Good morning, Francis. 992 00:42:44,400 --> 00:42:45,639 I slept great. That's great. 993 00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:48,839 You're ready for breakfast? I am. I'm famished now. 994 00:42:48,919 --> 00:42:51,639 Now, Francis, here's your order. Oh, that's lovely. 995 00:42:51,720 --> 00:42:54,400 Just what I wanted. Great. Enjoy. Thanks very much. 996 00:42:55,120 --> 00:42:57,040 Mm! 997 00:42:57,080 --> 00:42:59,919 Lovely sweet tomatoes, I must say. 998 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:02,400 They're lovely, and they're slightly burnt, which is gorgeous. 999 00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:06,319 Well, Francis, how did you find the breakfast? 1000 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:07,839 Everything was lovely, I must say, yes. 1001 00:43:07,919 --> 00:43:09,199 The bacon and the tomatoes was just lovely. 1002 00:43:09,279 --> 00:43:11,000 The one thing, I think the plate was a bit small. 1003 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:13,160 Ciara, you know, if you have a cooked breakfast, 1004 00:43:13,199 --> 00:43:16,080 it should be on a bigger plate. Mm-hm. But you could work on that. 1005 00:43:16,120 --> 00:43:17,120 Yeah. 1006 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:19,440 Delicious. 1007 00:43:21,720 --> 00:43:24,440 Four years ago, a certain corporate accountant 1008 00:43:24,519 --> 00:43:26,160 fell in love with an old farmhouse. 1009 00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:30,879 Since then, Ciara has reinvented this place and herself, 1010 00:43:30,919 --> 00:43:35,279 becoming the bean an tí of a fully functioning countryside retreat. 1011 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:45,839 On the ground floor, the reception room has an elegant cool style, 1012 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:52,160 and the same artisan vibe extends to the parlour. 1013 00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:00,559 Ciara has used recycled furniture 1014 00:44:00,599 --> 00:44:01,760 in the dining room... 1015 00:44:03,400 --> 00:44:04,440 and in the kitchen, 1016 00:44:04,519 --> 00:44:06,120 which looks brand new, but isn't. 1017 00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:13,559 Upstairs, the four bedrooms are ready for guests. 1018 00:44:17,639 --> 00:44:20,040 And just take a look at Ciara's new home, 1019 00:44:20,080 --> 00:44:23,040 the apartment adjacent to the farmhouse. 1020 00:44:23,839 --> 00:44:27,599 A cool combination of workspace and quiet retreat. 1021 00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:33,400 I can't wait to get a closer look. 1022 00:44:37,120 --> 00:44:40,040 It's lovely. Isn't it gorgeous? 1023 00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:41,800 There's lovely little touches here. 1024 00:44:41,879 --> 00:44:44,440 And are they our key rings? They are indeed. 1025 00:44:44,519 --> 00:44:47,800 Each of the rooms is named after a place that I love in the Galtees. 1026 00:44:47,879 --> 00:44:49,760 So this one is the Cush Room, the small room upstairs. 1027 00:44:49,839 --> 00:44:51,080 Fantastic. 1028 00:44:53,599 --> 00:44:55,559 So that's the parlour, John, the good room. 1029 00:44:55,639 --> 00:44:57,599 Oh, it's a fabulous room. 1030 00:44:57,680 --> 00:44:59,839 You'd get stuck in here for a day with a book, 1031 00:44:59,959 --> 00:45:01,959 and hide, close the door, 1032 00:45:02,040 --> 00:45:04,279 and you'd just be in an oasis. It's gorgeous. 1033 00:45:04,360 --> 00:45:06,440 The floor is just spectacular. 1034 00:45:10,239 --> 00:45:12,760 So now your website's up and running and it looks great. 1035 00:45:12,839 --> 00:45:14,760 Photography, you can't beat good photography. 1036 00:45:14,839 --> 00:45:17,120 But the most important thing is that you sell the rooms. 1037 00:45:17,199 --> 00:45:19,559 So I want to know, where are you on rate? 1038 00:45:19,639 --> 00:45:22,639 So I'm starting at a kind of market rate 1039 00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:24,040 around here, which is the 150, 1040 00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:26,199 which is for the smallest cosy room upstairs. 1041 00:45:26,279 --> 00:45:29,000 And then I'm going up to 160 and 170, according to bigger room, 1042 00:45:29,080 --> 00:45:31,239 mountain views, and so on. Right. Okay. 1043 00:45:31,319 --> 00:45:32,559 This is a premium product. 1044 00:45:32,639 --> 00:45:34,839 What you've done here is fantastic. It's unique. 1045 00:45:34,919 --> 00:45:37,480 It's not anywhere else, and that deserves a premium. 1046 00:45:37,559 --> 00:45:39,800 It is July, coming into August, 1047 00:45:39,839 --> 00:45:43,440 160, 170 wouldn't be out of the question. 1048 00:45:43,519 --> 00:45:45,400 But all those fivers and all those tenners 1049 00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:46,559 make a huge difference to you 1050 00:45:46,639 --> 00:45:48,279 at the end of the year. 1051 00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:49,800 Occupancy-wise, where are you on occupancy? 1052 00:45:49,879 --> 00:45:53,680 So for the month of July now, I will be at about 80%. 1053 00:45:53,760 --> 00:45:56,360 Wow. (laughing) Yeah! 1054 00:45:56,400 --> 00:45:57,599 So I don't know if it's because the middle of summer, 1055 00:45:57,639 --> 00:45:59,319 but, yeah, hopefully that's a good sign. 1056 00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:03,360 How can I knock the smile off your face? (both laugh) 1057 00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:05,760 So the combination of that high occupancy rate, 1058 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:06,879 which is really fantastic, 1059 00:46:06,959 --> 00:46:09,400 and then to increase the revenue in the rooms a little bit over 1060 00:46:09,480 --> 00:46:10,800 the next couple of months. 1061 00:46:10,879 --> 00:46:14,919 Both of those things combined will help you greatly in the addition 1062 00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:16,319 of the new three rooms. 1063 00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:19,440 Because, you know, the majority of your costs 1064 00:46:19,480 --> 00:46:21,239 that you're going to incur in opening 1065 00:46:21,319 --> 00:46:23,040 these rooms are fixed already. 1066 00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:26,040 Your energy isn't going to go up hugely because there's only lights 1067 00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:27,360 and a bit of heat in next door. 1068 00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:28,959 So all of those things, your marketing, 1069 00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:30,080 your exposure, all of those 1070 00:46:30,160 --> 00:46:31,440 things are the same. 1071 00:46:31,519 --> 00:46:33,239 So the money you make in here 1072 00:46:33,279 --> 00:46:34,800 is only less the cost of the servicing the pricing 1073 00:46:34,879 --> 00:46:36,239 of the room on a daily basis. 1074 00:46:39,000 --> 00:46:41,519 That is great, isn't it? It's not too bad. 1075 00:46:41,559 --> 00:46:43,599 Now, all this comes at a cost. Yes. 1076 00:46:43,680 --> 00:46:45,279 So where are you on the budget? 1077 00:46:45,360 --> 00:46:49,120 So I'm about 5% over budget, and also now I've come to the point 1078 00:46:49,199 --> 00:46:51,480 of running out of money, so I've had to cut certain things like 1079 00:46:51,519 --> 00:46:53,120 the banquettes, for example, in the dining room. Right. 1080 00:46:53,199 --> 00:46:55,120 Well, you know, 5% in today's world, 1081 00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:57,440 where prices of everything is going through the roof 1082 00:46:57,480 --> 00:46:58,480 is to be commended. 1083 00:46:59,599 --> 00:47:02,480 Okay, she's got the occupancy, the online presence, 1084 00:47:02,519 --> 00:47:04,879 and she's managed her money extremely well. 1085 00:47:04,959 --> 00:47:06,959 So now we believe she's in a position 1086 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:09,000 to tackle the asbestos in the barn. 1087 00:47:09,080 --> 00:47:12,440 I am keen now to go ahead with the plan for the three bedrooms. 1088 00:47:12,480 --> 00:47:14,760 I think maybe late winter, early spring next year. 1089 00:47:14,839 --> 00:47:17,639 Now that I see what my fixed costs and my variable costs are, 1090 00:47:17,720 --> 00:47:19,519 I really see how this will make sense. 1091 00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:26,199 We have no doubt this business is going to grow beautifully. 1092 00:47:26,279 --> 00:47:28,720 Now, Ciara, it's time for us to go. Would you believe it? 1093 00:47:28,760 --> 00:47:30,519 Okay, but we had a wonderful experience 1094 00:47:30,559 --> 00:47:32,080 we have had in our time here, 1095 00:47:32,160 --> 00:47:33,879 okay, so we're going to leave you a tree, 1096 00:47:33,919 --> 00:47:35,160 a tree grows forever, 1097 00:47:35,199 --> 00:47:37,760 so in that respect, life is going to be continuing. 1098 00:47:37,839 --> 00:47:40,319 So when I'm long gone, the tree will be up there somewhere 1099 00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:43,239 and you'll be 90 and thinking of me. (Ciara laughs) Alright? Okay. 1100 00:47:43,319 --> 00:47:45,599 So with that, we'd just like to wish you the very best. 1101 00:47:45,680 --> 00:47:46,959 Thank you. 1102 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:49,480 Fantastic. 1103 00:47:49,519 --> 00:47:50,959 (applause) 1104 00:47:57,000 --> 00:47:59,360 Ciara's achieved something really special here, 1105 00:47:59,400 --> 00:48:01,959 and we're not the only ones delighted for her. 1106 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:04,120 Something she wanted to do all her life, 1107 00:48:04,160 --> 00:48:06,639 and now you see it come into fruition. 1108 00:48:07,559 --> 00:48:09,720 (Ciara's mother) I never doubted that she wouldn't finish it. 1109 00:48:09,800 --> 00:48:11,160 When she sets her mind to do something, 1110 00:48:11,199 --> 00:48:12,519 she just does it and that's it. 1111 00:48:12,559 --> 00:48:14,160 There's no stopping her! 1112 00:48:15,599 --> 00:48:16,760 (Kate) We're all very proud of Ciara 1113 00:48:16,800 --> 00:48:19,440 and how she's turned this place around, 1114 00:48:19,519 --> 00:48:21,559 and how much hard work I was put into Barnahown. 1115 00:48:21,639 --> 00:48:25,360 I love the polished concrete floor, the view of the Galtees... 1116 00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:27,239 I think it will attract a lot of tourists. 1117 00:48:27,279 --> 00:48:29,519 So I think it will be really, really good for the town, 1118 00:48:29,559 --> 00:48:30,800 which is exciting. 1119 00:48:30,879 --> 00:48:33,440 I really enjoyed having John and Francis to help me 1120 00:48:33,480 --> 00:48:35,680 on the journey, and they've really given me food for thought. 1121 00:48:35,760 --> 00:48:38,760 Every time I met them, they had something new to provoke me on. 1122 00:48:38,839 --> 00:48:41,720 The pricing, the utilization, marketing, 1123 00:48:41,760 --> 00:48:43,120 it's been really helpful to me, 1124 00:48:43,199 --> 00:48:46,000 particularly because I'm on my own, and it pushes me to 1125 00:48:46,040 --> 00:48:47,599 make the best of what I'm doing. 1126 00:48:49,519 --> 00:48:52,319 Now! That's it now. 1127 00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:54,440 That was some experience from start to finish. 1128 00:48:54,519 --> 00:48:56,160 Wasn't it fantastic? Yeah, absolutely, 1129 00:48:56,239 --> 00:48:57,839 a joy to be involved here now. 1130 00:48:57,919 --> 00:48:59,319 When you think when we came here first, 1131 00:48:59,360 --> 00:49:00,879 and the derelict state it was in, 1132 00:49:00,919 --> 00:49:03,400 and we met Ciara, but you know, I knew she had it in her. 1133 00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:05,959 She had that go about her. And do you know something? 1134 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:10,120 She has brought every element of herself and her locality into it, 1135 00:49:10,160 --> 00:49:12,319 and it just oozes passion, the whole thing. 1136 00:49:12,400 --> 00:49:13,480 It's a really credit to her. 1137 00:49:13,559 --> 00:49:16,080 You know, it's truly a B&B for the Ireland of today. 1138 00:49:16,120 --> 00:49:17,919 100%, yeah! 1139 00:49:54,680 --> 00:49:56,800 Subtitles: RTÉ 2024