Kildare's 5-star K Club hotel and golf club has opened its doors to HSE frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
New owner Michael Fetherston last month announced that its 134 hotel rooms would be offered to the government to house essential workers. The club is now set to welcome frontline staff.
A tweet from the K Club's official account today read: "The flag is flying today as we prepare for the first of our HSE frontline staff who are coming to stay. #InThisTogether"
Golf is postponed throughout the country, with people limited to exercise within a 2km radius of their homes, and after the Golfing Union of Ireland and Irish Ladies' Golf Union recommended club closures.
The sports and hospitality industries find themselves heavily affected by the crisis - but the 2006 Ryder Cup venue won't lie idle over the coming weeks and months.
In a statement last month, a K Club spokesperson said: "It is clear now that there is no defined period for when the current pandemic will pass.
"With this in mind, the owners of The K Club have decided that, in the national interest and in the interest of the local community, they are making the hotel at The K Club available to the Government and to the HSE.
"The hope is that its location and setting will make life a little more comfortable for the emergency staff, first responders and citizens who may need it during this time.”
