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Posted October 2nd 2011

Congratulations and thanks to the wonderful Transition Year Students from Dunshaughlin Community College.

John Coughlan Catering Services catered for over 60,000 guests, visitors and VIP's at the 2011 Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle in County Meath from the start of the week right through to the nail biting conclusion of this excellent event. As part of the students work experience programme we recruited 62 transition year students from Dunshaughlin Community College to help with the event.

Damien Sheridan, HR Manager at John Coughlan Catering, continues: “We all wanted this to be a successful event, especially for the local area. We wanted and needed to get the local community involved right from the start so we devised a recruitment campaign that would benefit the local region and help younger people get work experience”. “I approached Helen Comisky, the Transition Year Coordinator for Dunshauglin Community College, who was delighted to help and was instrumental in getting the ball rolling”. “After doing a presentation at the College it became clear that many of the transition year students wanted to be a part of the biggest event held in Meath and we ended up with 62 names of eager students ready to help.”
“Once we had the volunteers we set up a unique training programme which would benefit the College and Students resulting in them all becoming HCCAP trained and gaining valuable real work experience”.

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“The students all attended the Induction Day at Killen Castle on Saturday the 17th September, we went through all aspects of the site, safety and also site orientation”. “We followed this up on Monday the 19th with comprehensive food safety and hygiene training at the College; we also covered dealing with the public, presentation and appearance and other valuable life and job skills”. “When they arrived on site at Killeen on Wednesday the 21st September they were issued with company uniforms and were allocated job roles”.

“Over the next 5 days the students were working with the experienced on site JC Catering staff, they were always ready to learn and assist and proved to be a major asset to the company and the event in general”.

Barbara takes up the story. “They were excellent! – despite the adverse weather and the longer hours perhaps than they were used to, all were an absolute asset to us, the staff and The Solheim Cup. We are so proud of them”. “Meath, and Ireland, should be proud of these students, we had many customers praising them and their efforts over the 5 days and we would have no hesitation in recommending any of them to a future employer”.
Helen Comisky continues. “From our part we were delighted to offer our Transition Year Students to help in this event”. “The benefits they gained from the induction, training and real work experience will certainly stand them in good stead and give them real confidence to try and achieve more in the future”. “The 2011 Solheim Cup brought so much to Meath, and created such a positive reaction from the local community it was good for Dunshaughlin Community College, good for Meath and great for the Students”.

John Coughlan – JC catering Managing Director continues: “These students were wonderful, they did everything and more we asked of them, they represent all that is good about Irish youth and we were delighted to have them on board at The Solheim Cup.” “We want to recognise them for their outstanding contribution so we instigated a little ceremony on Friday 30th September at 4pm at Dunshaughlin Community College to present them with their Certificate of Completion, HCCAP certificates, some Solheim Cup Memorabilia and Gratuity Vouchers”. “I hope they will remember the time spent with us positively and that it will help them feel more confident to get the job they want in the future”.

John Coughlan Catering also made a donation to the Community College for their assistance.

Posted September 27th 2011

Congratulations to Team Europe on your fantastic win at the 2011 Solheim Cup.

John Coughlan Catering Services catered for over 60,000 guests, visitors and VIP's at Killeen Castle in County Meath from the start of the week right through to the nail biting conclusion of this excellent event.

The venue for The 2011 Solheim Cup was the wonderfully imposing Killeen Castle, located near the picturesque village of Dunsany, just north of Dunshaughlin in County Meath. Overlooked by the ancient Hill of Tara, the castle is close to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Newgrange and the Hill of Tara, once the traditional seat of the High Kings, and perfect “days out” for visitors to the Golf Matches. The 2011 Solheim Cup was a major event, not just in the golfing calendar, but also for the local area and Ireland in general. Thousands of home and visiting guests attended from the practice days through the actual event itself and they were very well looked after on arrival and through the tournament itself.

John Coughlan Catering proudly catered for the many guests, corporate clients, media, staff and officials offering some fine fayre to all over the seven full days of the event. Top quality menus, featuring some of the very best Irish, local produce and sourced from sustainable resources were available to all. Our 40 Chefs were busy all day, cooking, organising their buying schedules, food storage and kitchens. The experienced catering management team looked after upwards of 240 staff who worked with JC Catering throughout the event.

Luxury marquees with comfortable seating, tables and bar facilities were located around the course and castle areas. The Tapas Restaurant, Sit ’n’ Sip Café, and also the imposing PING pavilion offered some of the best food and drink available at the event. The many concession catering outlets catered for the thousands of avid golf fans on course and all were very busy throughout the event. Below we have posted some pictures detailing the flavor and excitement of The 2011 Solheim Cup.

A massive thanks to all the hardworking John Coughlan Catering staff who made this such a successful event for the guests and management..

Posted Thursday 15th September 2011.

The venue for The 2011 Solheim Cup is the wonderfully imposing Killeen Castle, located near the picturesque village of Dunsany, just north of Dunshaughlin in County Meath.

Overlooked by the ancient Hill of Tara, the castle is close to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Newgrange and the Hill of Tara, once the traditional seat of the High Kings, and perfect “days out” for visitors to the Golf Matches.

The 2011 Solheim Cup is a major event, not just in the golfing calendar, but also for the local area and Ireland in general. Thousands of home and visiting guests are due to attend from the practice days through the actual event itself and preparations are now very well underway for them to be well looked after on arrival and through the tournament itself.

John Coughlan Catering have been awarded the prestigious contract to cater for the many guests, corporate clients, media, staff and officials and looking now at this mammoth project they are well set up and in advance of schedule to offer some fine fayre to all.

Delightful menus are being currently being designed and written, featuring some of the very best Irish, local produce and sourced from sustainable resources. Chefs are busy organising their buying schedules, food storage and organising the kitchens. The experienced catering management team are all in place setting up staffing rotas and creating training schedules for the now, upwards of 240 staff who will be working with JC Catering throughout the event.

Luxury marquees are now all in place are being fitted out with comfortable seating, tables and bar facilities. The Tapas Restaurant, Sit ’n’ Sip Café, and also the imposing PING pavilion are all looking excellent and will be offering some of the best food and drink available at the event. The many concessions catering outlets are also all in place and are now being set up at the many locations dotted around the 500 acre venue.

Barbara Muldoon, John Coughlan Catering’s Operations Director says “We are all looking forward to this event and recognise the importance of delivering the highest standards of food and service to all the visiting guests”. “We have been working on the preparations for The 2011 Solheim Cup from early this year and to see all the planning and hard work take shape is very rewarding”.

With the high standards of event organisation and the forever changing picture at Killeen Castle the visitors to this exceptional event will be in for a real treat in every sense…