Farnham Estate - not for sale

The Radisson hotel and Farnham Estate are forging ahead in business terms with occupancy numbers at the hotel reported to be well up on last year while the completed 18-hole golf course is one of the finest in Ireland and is already gearing up for a number of important tournaments. The hotel and the Farnham Estate development is the brainchild of Cavan born entrepreneur, Roy McCabe, who has developed the former ancestral home and demesne of Lord Farnham and the Maxwell family into a popular holiday retreat and recreational centre that is already putting Cavan on the map in tourism terms. An article in one of the weekend newspapers that the development could be for sale are rejected as being without substance. The article claimed that Anglo Irish Bank was in re-financing talks with Mr. McCabe and that on the table was the potential sale of the Farnham Estate and its four star Radisson hotel. However, the completion of the golf course is pointed out as an example of Mr. McCabe's commitment to the project and his financial ability to bring it to completion. Tourism sources describe the Farnham Estate as the type of successful business that is required to equip Irish tourism with the resources it needs to be competitive in a world which seeks greater choice of product. The completion of the golf course this year has been an important step forward. It now has Golfing Union of Ireland status and has a standard scratch of 73 - another example of how good the course is. The recently formed Farnham Estate Golf Club are hosting a major golfing event in the coming weeks. The club will have responsibility for tournaments and the issuing of handicaps etc. The Farnham Estate and the Radisson hotel employ 200 people from the general local area and contribute €15m to the Cavan economy. While times are challenging for all businesses at present the Farnham Estate project holds out great potential as a tourism earner for County Cavan. Roy McCabe is understood to be very committed to the project and now with all of the transformation work complete he wants to realise the fullness of his dream project on the edge of Cavan town.