Wicklow native Alan Smullen has been working at The Croke Park Hotel since 2005 – and is now general manager. This weekend promises to be a busy one for Smullen and his team, as fans of Mayo, Dublin, Kerry, and Derry descend on Croke Park for the All-Ireland football finals. So what lies in store?

EVEN years after it was built, Cork’s River Lee Hotel has spent €500,000 on a patio upgrade, adding an indoor-outdoor room which enhances its Leeside setting.

Want to hightail it away for a last minute weekend break? Esther N McCarthy fits in two counties, two hotels and lots of shopping.