Location

Cong

Cong is a small village in Co Mayo made famous as the location for the Quiet Man and home to Ashford Castle.
The village itself is self-contained and experienced in dealing with transient groups and tourism. There are 3/4 coffee shops, 4 bars, 1 exhibition area and one tourist centre, all within a few hundred meters of each other. Within walking distance of the village is Ashford Castle and Lisloughrey House.
Cong also offers unique opportunities for people to break away after the sessions and enjoy a quick walk through the woods. Sports enthusiasts can also avail of the many running and sporting trails.

 

Venues

The idea behind Energy Symposium is to use these social venues rather than auditorium type rooms. Attendees decide how they wish to present on the day from formal PowerPoint, roundtable chat to show and tell. As all attendees have access to each attendees submission before the event this offers a much richer opportunity to discuss and debate topics.

The provisional venues are:

  • Ryans (upstairs and downstairs)
  • Pat Cohan’s (upstairs and downstairs)
  • Puddleducks (back)
  • Lydons (backroom)
  • Danaghers (café)
  • Hungry Monk
  • Rare and Recent
  • Quiet Cailin
  • Court House

Registration will take place from 9 am on the morning with tea/coffee on arrival. Ryans Hotel also encompasses the Crowes Nest bar where two of the sessions will be held. We will be using a self-contained section/alcove of the bar area so there will be some noise as the day goes on. There is WIFI available and we will also have a projector in this area. Mike and Denis will be our hosts for the day.

Danagher’s Hotel
Danaghers Hotel had a bar area and a separate restaurant area. We will be using the separate restaurant area to the right as you enter. Regular dining tables and chairs provided along with flip charts. Lunch will be served here so if your huddle finishes here stay put. Dinner options are available here. Helena will be our host of the day.

Pat Cohan’s
This venue is a restaurant and will be closed with sessions organized upstairs and downstairs. Ray and Sharon are the owners and Yvonne is our host for the day.

Rare and Recent Book Store.
Rare and Recent Books is a small specialized bookstore and is a small venue surrounded by books but this is part of the symposium experience of jolting our of normal experiences. Robert Scott is the owner and host.

The Quiet Cailin
The Quiet Cailin is a creative crafts and gifts store with a difference. Expect to be in close proximity to each other but surrounded by creative works and people. Michelle Gavin runs the Quiet Cailin.

Hungry Monk
The Hungry Monk is a cafe come restaurant and expect to be clustered around tables and chairs. WIFI is good but drops fast when everyone logs on. The food is really excellent and owner Aisling Butler is part of the slow food movement. Lunch will provided here.

Puddleducks
Puddleduck is a cafe with excellent food. Its a lovely spacious and bright environment and would not be out of place in Dublin. Being so open means that it will have other patrons but we will utilise a cordoned off area. WIFI is good but can drop suddenly (reflective of most places in Cong). Fiona O’Malley is the owner.

 

Where to stay

Cong has a long history of tourism and has a wide variety of places to stay from 5 star, 4 star, regular hotel, B&Bs,  and apartments.

5/4 Star Hotels

  • Ashford Castle
  • The Lodge

Hotels

  • Ryan’s Hotel
  • Danagher’s Hotel

Bed & Breakfasts

  • Michaeleen’s Manor B&B
  • Hazelgrove B&B
  • Ashfield House B&B
  • Villa Pio B&B
  • Dolmen House B&B
  • Camping and Hostels
  • Cong Caravan and Camping

Apartments

  • The Cosy Loft
    Sinead Collins 086-8120955
  • River View Apartments
    Margaret Collins 086-6612350