Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile has her calligraphy pen out as we chat. The reason? She is about to write a very important thank you note, to a very, very important person.
When US president Joe Biden travelled to Mayo in April, the TV presenter turned hotelier and her other half Alan Maloney hosted his White House team and members of the US Embassy in Dublin at their Mount Falcon estate.
It was a successful but surreal experience for them, she recalls how ‘they had 24-hour security at the door and we weren’t allowed to enter even in the event of a fire, you had to ring a certain number’ but when Air Force One jetted out of the West they naturally enough assumed that, was that.
Imagine her surprise then when a parcel landed on their doorstep this week from Washington with individually wrapped gifts for herself and Alan and other members of their hotel team.
Alan received a leather organiser while Eibhlín was gifted a handmade marble trinket bowl engraved with the presidential seal.
‘We didn’t expect a thank you from The White House at all, they said their thank yous when they were leaving.
‘I don’t know do hotels normally get presents from every visit, maybe they do, maybe this is run of the mill but I haven’t experienced it before from anyone,’ she explained.
While she was surprised at the thoughtfulness of the gifts, it is very much in keeping with the appreciation they received from the President’s staff during their time at the hotel.
‘So we became HQ, so the protocol is when the President is visiting another country, there has to be a mini White House in that country.
‘We had over 100 members of the US embassy in Dublin and the White House administration staying with us for two and a half weeks [and] actually they were the nicest guests in the world.
‘They were so hardworking, honestly they barely asked for a thing. They set up eight offices within the hotel, they split a function room into five and they had two upstairs, and they had the board room and two other rooms.
‘It was a great experience for everyone, the hotel was so busy, there was a nice buzz, they were incredibly hard working, and they appreciated that they had to move in and have five G cables running in.
‘My colleague Michael Pajkert, he’s our sales and marketing manager but he’s also exceptionally talented at technical things. They asked on a Friday we need x,y done by Saturday evening… and Michael took over and organised it and got everyone in and the day they were leaving they phoned him and asked to meet him and presented him with a medal from the President a beautiful certificate which was personally made out to him
‘It was really incredible, really personable… it didn’t feel routine, all the wording was especially worded for him and he’s been invited to the 4th July celebrations at the Embassy in Dublin. ‘
Michael wasn’t the only member of staff to get in on the action, the hotel’s chef was allowed to make Joe’s lunch while he was in Ballina.
‘The President can’t eat anything without it being okayed by his own chef so the President’s chef stayed here as well and was getting ready to make his lunch one day and our chef said “well look I can make it, if you want to oversee it being made” and our chef was actually responsible for his lunch… which was delivered to him in his car I think!.’
While Joe didn’t stay at the hotel this time around they did have the pleasure of his company when he travelled to Mount Falcon for an unofficial visit in 2016 which she admits was ironically much more security conscious.
‘At that stage, he came with his own children, the in-laws and also his sister, and his grandchildren and it was all about bringing his grandchildren back to his roots in Ballina.
We had over a hundred CIA staying with us, they secured the perimeter, and they had the Irish Army move into the woods and set up their tent… the whole place was closed down, and they checked every single vehicle for bombs including my buggy with my baby in it!.’
‘So the relationship began then,’ and Eibhlín hopes it continues as she signs the thank you note ‘Hope to see you soon!.’