This article is from page 12 of the 2013-10-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
MANAGEMENT at Dromoland Castle have laughed off suggestions that the Australian International Rules Team’s partying got out of control during the early hours of yesterday morning (Monday).
The team stayed in the five-star County Clare hotel on Sunday and Monday night following their defeat to Ireland on Saturday.
Australian media had reported that the professional Aussie Rules players were reprimanded by team management following a drunken night out and follow-up party in one of the rooms of the castle.
Fiona Gielty, Group Sales Manager with Dromoland Castle, laughed off any suggestions that the players had caused a serious disturbance the night before.
“It was nothing, not even worth commenting on,” she said.
Australian website and newspaper, ‘The Age’, reported that the drunken night out at a Limerick night club was followed by players retiring to one of the players room to party.
“Hotel staff asked the hard-partying players to turn down their music about 5am, before having to return 15 minutes later to again insist they desist from making noise. A vase was heard smashing, with others in the building woken up,” according to the report.
The Australian players were then hauled before team management after breakfast on Monday and “reminded of their responsibilities to an International rules series”.
The Australian Football League have also insisted the incident was not a major one.
The Australian team members had made the long bus journey from Cavan to Dromoland Castle on Sunday, following their 57-35 defeat to Ireland in the first test of the 2013 International Rules Series at Breffni Park, Cavan.