Central London will become a haven for Irish celebrations this summer, with the announcement that the Irish Olympic House will be opening its doors in Kings Cross to coincide with the start of the 2012 Olympic Games. thg Sports Tours, in association with the Olympic Council of Ireland, has announced that the official Irish Olympic House will be located at the Big Chill House, a stone’s throw from King’s Cross St Pancras station, and its Olympic site services.
thg Sports Tours Chief Executive James Sinton said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the Big Chill House as it is an iconic brand and its owners bring a wealth of entertainment experience to the table. They have long been associated with cutting-edge music venues and bars, as well as the hugely popular Big Chill Festival. This really is going to be an exciting summer celebrating with Team Ireland as it goes for Olympic gold.”
The Irish Olympic House will be a place where everybody can enjoy the friendly Irish atmosphere while cheering on the athletes. It will provide an out-of-competition base for athletes and their supporters, as well as representatives of the Olympic Council of Ireland and their guests. Visitors can enjoy the live Olympic action on large screens, chill with a pint and a bite to eat, enjoy an abundance of live entertainment, tap along to a traditional Irish music session, or simply relax in the sunshine on the roof terrace.
“Throughout the Games, the Irish Olympic House will feature guest appearances from various ‘Ambassadors’, including well-known Irish musicians, comedians and actors, who will bring the very best of Irish entertainment to London. The names of some of the ambassadors will be announced soon.
“We want the Irish Olympic House to be the No. 1 party destination at the Games, and so we are working with some of Ireland’s top artists to ensure we can replicate the atmosphere and excitement of a true Irish night out. By concealing the names of our ambassadors, we will be creating word of mouth and social media excitement, which, we believe, will drive high levels of repeat visitors to The Irish Olympic House, making it the No. 1 entertainment destination for visitors during the Olympics.
“As a nation, the Irish are famed for their love of sport and of celebration and we are confident that the recently re-launched Big Chill House will provide us with the perfect location to bring the very best of Ireland to our visitors.”
King’s Cross will be one of the main transport hubs during the London Olympics and a frequent ‘Javelin’ train will run between King’s Cross St Pancras station and the Olympic Park, taking just seven minutes and carrying up to 25,000 passengers per hour.
Pat Hickey, President of the Olympic Council of Ireland, added: “The London Games are so geographically close to us that we are treating it as a ‘home’ Olympics. Therefore we feel a strong obligation to cater for Irish people travelling to the event to support Team Ireland and to the Irish diaspora living in the UK. The Irish Olympic House will undoubtedly be a magnet for our supporters due to its excellent central location and superb facilities. It will, of course, be open to all-comers and nationalities and we expect it to be a huge success.”
The Irish Olympic House at the Big Chill House will open its doors for business on Friday 27th July and will play host to an anticipated 40,000 people during the Games, closing on Sunday 12th August. The Irish House will be operational between 10am and 2am daily.
You can be the first to hear about exclusive ticket offers by signing up online at irishhouse-london2012.com. For up to the minute news about The Irish House, follow @irishhouse2012 on Twitter. thg Sports Tours is the official authorised Olympic ticket agent for Ireland.
