A man has been convicted of raping two European women who were working as prostitutes in Ireland.

IF there are still some bare building bones sticking out at Cork City’s newest hotel (which promises to have pre-Christmas guests in situ by December 18) it’s appropriate — a portion of the site, on Parnell Place, was once a School of Anatomy for UCC.

Ambitious plans for a development that will include Cork’s largest hotel have been given the go-ahead by An Bord Pleanála.

A ‘tech corridor’ is emerging on Cork City’s venerable South Mall — the historic commercial boulevard is now to be bookended at the iconic 97 South Mall by fast-growing company Eventbrite, who may employ up to 100 employees there over the next few years.

Over 1,300 new hotel beds are in various stages of planning in Cork city and if even half come though could boost hotel capacity by 30% — “but the Cork Events Centre proceeding is necessary for the city to exploit its true potential,” says Tom Barrett, director of Hotels and Leisure at Savills.

Patients and former staff of the first general hospital to open in Cork are set for special treatment next weekend at events to mark the 30th anniversary of its closure.

Cork Midsummer Festival launches today for 10 days of theatre, art and family fun. Des O’Driscoll selects a few of the upcoming highlights.

The Dalata Hotel Group is set to spend nearly €70m on taking majority ownership of three Irish hotels that it has to date run on a rental basis.

The Dalata Hotel Group plans to speed up its expansion in the UK this year. It hopes to open up to four more hotels there before the end of 2017.

Investment at the landmark Silversprings Hotel in Cork by new owners Clayton/Dalata who acquired it two years ago as part of a nine-hotel €445m acquisition from the Moran Group will top €5 million by next year, while the hotel’s €3.2m reworked two-storey Events Centre, ballroom and business meeting rooms reopens from tomorrow.

The Dalata Hotel Group is negotiating the purchase of a further two-to-three development sites in Dublin.

Who will go head to head with Dalata in bidding for the investment sale of the Maldron Hotel, in the historic heart of Cork City centre, under Shandon Steeple?

The Dalata Hotel Group is to consider paying a maiden dividend to shareholders based on its 2017 earnings, management said yesterday.

Chairman Noel Treacy said that Galway hurlers did not raise any discontent until two of them came forward after the players’ representatives had earlier delivered a positive report on the year.

Galway officials were locked in conclave last night in a bid to resolve the impasse between hurling manager Anthony Cunningham and leading members of his team.

A father-of-one who absconded from a psychiatric unit on the grounds of a Dublin hospital was last seen alive by a gravedigger.

More than half a billion euro was spent on hotel acquisitions in the first quarter of the year in the largest quarterly spree ever seen.

Cork, Kerry and Limerick hotels are among a portfolio of seven profitably trading Irish hotels being sold as a bundle, or individually, by Nama in the so-called Crystal Portfolio, valued all-in at €35m and totalling over 830 beds.

The Dalata Hotel Group could spend up to €500m on expanding its portfolio over the next two-to-three years, management said yesterday.

Dublin-based investment firm, TVC Holdings has sold its near 29% shareholding in newly floated hotel group, Dalata for €30.4m.

The Dalata Hotel Group is hoping to use proceeds from its upcoming flotation to expand its property network, either via single asset purchases or the buyout of rival groups’ portfolios.

The public will be able to tour more than 40 historic buildings and enjoy a medieval day as part of Cork Heritage Open Day.

A number of leading hotels in Cork and Limerick have more than doubled their room prices for the night the cities play host to Bruce Springsteen next summer.

The shock closure of a major city hospital a quarter of a century ago will be remembered in Cork this weekend.

FUNCTIONAL spaces such as a factory and the cleaning department of a hotel will be under the spotlight in the Irish premiere of Parallel Cities as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival from Jun 21-Jul 1.

TVC HOLDINGS is hopeful that the passing of the end of July deadline for the banks to meet their latest recapitalisation targets will create a more active investment market.

VENTURE capital specialist TVC Holdings – which yesterday announced a return to profitability – remains confident of selling off its non-core investments and realising its aim of building a portfolio of “four core platform investments”.

As Cork hospital loses services its future remains unclear, writes Catherine Shanahan

SHARES in UTV — the Belfast-based broadcast and media group — soared yesterday, after two high profile investments were made in the business.