Kildare restaurant owner made Restaurants Association president

Kildare restaurant owner Paul Lenehan has been made president of the Restaurants Association of Ireland. Mr Lenehan owns and operates Hartes of Kildare, Firecastle in Kildare town and The Dew Drop Inn in Kil alongside business partner Ronan Kinsella.

The announcement was made at an event at Mount Juliet estate. Mr Lenhan will be in the role for the next two years and is the 25th president of the association. He faces a challenging term over the next two years with rising business costs, skills shortages and the nine percent VAT rate campaign a main focus.

Speaking as the presidency was handed over, Mr Lenehan said: “I promise to work hard and diligently to help steer our industry back to normality. It’s not going to be easy, it never is, but the Restaurant Association of Ireland is a strong and dynamic organisation and works hard for its members and lobbies the Government in Ireland Europe.”

CEO Adrian Cummins said of the appointment: “We are delighted to have Paul Lenehan as the new President of the Restaurants Association of Ireland and myself and the national council look forward to working with Paul to ensure a vibrant recovery for the entire restaurant and hospitality sector over the next two years.

“We will lobby hard to ensure that the Government supports our sector in recovery. We were once a thriving employer and the largest indigenous industry within Ireland, with our exceptional food and service and we can be again with the right support.”

Awards pedigree
Mr Lenehan’s restaurant Hartes of Kildare boasts numerous awards over recent years, having been given the title Kildare’s best gastropub in 2018 from the Restaurants Association of Ireland, taking over from the 2017 winner, his very own Dew Drop Inn.
The Kildare venue was also crowned the Yes Chef best gastropub in the country in 2017 and 2018.

Firecastle is the newest of the three establishments. It is an artisan food store, bakery, cafe and deli located in the middle of Market Square, Kildare town. The store offers a variety of restaurant quality ready meals, some of which were originally made in the Hartes of Kildare itself. Breads, cakes and meals are all prepared freshly on site daily.