Paddywagon arrives

AFTER six years of waiting, the bus has finally arrived — and it’s a Paddywagon.

A new letting of a high-profile, but diminutive building at Cork city’s St Patrick’s Bridge is to see a new tourism office open under the auspices of Paddywagon Tours’ founder Cathal O’Connor.

Paddwagon Tours has taken the former kiosk-sized booking offices, vacated six years ago by Irish Ferries at the bridge junction of St Patrick’s Quay and Bridge Street.

Employing 75 in high season, the tourism company runs a fleet of over 20 brightly-coloured buses for backpackers and other tourists, and has its own range of hostels, including Kinlay House, Shandon, cork.

Paddywagon’s tourism office, which will also promote other businesses 364 days a year adn take percentage of bookings, seems a perfect fit for the corner building, with 900 sq ft of accommodation at basement, ground and first floor level.

The bus side of the company currently operates four tours out of Cork: One day-long trip takes in Blarney, Cobh and Kinsale, another goes to the Cliffs of Moher, and two others head to Kerry, one to Dingle, the other to the Ring of Kerry.

The city centre premises to serve the 1998-founded Irish business has been let by agents Savills and will bring a visual boost and presence to the corner building which already has the eye-catching 24-hour ticker-tape news feed sponsored by Ford, and supplied by Thomas Crosbie Media on its upper levels, visible from St Patrick’s Street and Merchants Quay among other locations.

Paddywagon Tours took over the 1993-dated lease in the past week, and there’s six years left to run on the lease terms. Rent agreed is believed to be around €15,000 per annum.

“It’s a perfect use and a great spot for the company, it’s got great visibility and St Patrick’s Quay is already used by a number of bus companies,” notes Lia Dennehy of Savills.

Other users who’d looked at the building included coffee shop and food retailers, barbers, etc.

Details: Savills: 021-4271371