It was August 1974 when Galway man Martin Gibbons stepped through the doors of Ashford Castle for the very first time, starting his first ‘job as a commis waiter at the hotel’s historic George V restaurant.
50 years later and Martin is still walking through castle doors, where he is now maître d’ in the very same restaurant, meeting, greeting and seating guests.
Martin’s golden anniversary was today marked by colleagues with a surprise celebration at Ashford Castle as he recounted golden moments and memories from the years gone. From Ronald Reagan to Rod Stewart, Fred Astaire and Pierce Brosnan, Martin has met them all. And, given he has no plans to retire any time soon, he hopes to continue meeting and greeting guests for many more years to come.
Three of Martin’s five children have also worked on the estate and the castle is where he met his wife Breege, when she was working there as a chef in the 1980s.
Niall Rochford, Managing Director of the Ashford Estate said: “This is a remarkable milestone and I don’t believe there are many people in the hospitality industry, nor indeed any industry who can make that claim. Martin’s professionalism, his stories and good humour and the way in which he looks after guests make him, in my view, the finest maître d’s in the country, if not in Europe. He is loved by colleagues and guests alike and quite frankly, he’s an absolute legend.
