Large Talking Digital Clock Planned For Ard Ri Hotel

IN January 2011 the “Ard Ri Hotel”, which has been an eyesore for many, will be totally transformed into a beautiful eighties style digital clock.

The talking LED clock will cost Irish tax payers €657m and will be the biggest of its kind in Europe.

David Flynn, the developer now in charge of the 27 acre site, today agreed to start the construction on the giant time piece immediately, giving way to 310 new jobs in the area.

Waterford city council gave permission for the build last Thursday after an intense four hour meeting in city hall. A majority vote decided in favour of Architect James Kavanagh’s ‘Digital Clock’ proposal.

Mr.Kavangh said in an interview today: “I am thrilled that my design got the go ahead. I got the idea one night in a taxi home from Ruby’s. My phone was dead and I didn’t have a watch. I looked up at the hotel and it just hit me. It was like God himself was trying to tell me something boy! I started drawing up plans the next day and the rest as they say is history.”

The Ferrybank-based development will comprise of a large block of concrete, roughly the size of the current hotel, and 4 fifty foot sub woofer speakers. The clock speaker will call the time every fifteen minutes during peak hours and only once every hour there after.

City councilor David Morris said that the development should be completed in time for the Tall Ships race in ’11.