King of the Castle

Dromoland Castle has been welcoming guests since the 16th century, and while he hasn’t been there quite that long, managing director Mark Nolan joined the five-star castle in Clare in 1989.

The affable Dubliner was only 29 when he took over as general manager, and jokes that he has “kind of ” been accepted by the Clare people at this stage. He fell in love with the hotel industry when he got a summer job at Ashford Castle aged 17. His mother Mary, who celebrated her 100th birthday at the castle last year, encouraged him to do a hotel management diploma in Galway.

“My family were all in legal and medical careers, so I’m the black sheep of the family,” he laughs. “Academia was never for me. I’m more of a hands-on person who likes being out and about, and am not a great ‘office’ person.”

After a year on scholarship at the Dunfey Hotels in New York, Mark worked at Ashford Castle for six years before joining Dromoland. He met his wife Maria, an intensive care nurse, at Ballantine Races, and they built a house on Dromolond’s golf course. “I’m a dreadful golfer, but I enjoy it,” he says.

As he worked long, unsociable hours, Maria stayed at home with their four children - Jessie, Andrea, Gillian and Marcus - and Mark made sure he was there for the important bits. He pays tribute to Maria for them growing to be fine, well-balanced adults.

With such a long tenure at the top, Mark has seen the award-winning castle through various programmes of refurbishment and some very exciting times. Many famous guests have stayed at Dromoland, including Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and George W. Bush.

There have also been various challenges, such as recessions and world disasters. “9/11 had the most dramatic effect on our business because we attract so many people from North America,” says Mark. “We did a huge campaign to attract UK visitors and luckily it worked.”

Huge investment has been made into Dromoland Castle over the past four years, and Mark and his team are now concentrating on developing the grounds and creating new walkways and fabulous guest experiences.

With such a busy job, Mark unwinds by bringing his springer spaniel, Callie, to the beach and doing some boating and walking. His passion for the business has never diminished, and he enjoys the fact that no two days are the same. “I love my job and the feeling of a satisfied customer is hugely rewarding,” he says.