Irish self-catering prices slashed as holidaymakers stay away

VALUE AT HOME:LAST-MINUTE home holiday-makers stand to make a killing this month as property owners cut high-season prices because of a huge drop in demand.

One operator, Trident, which has properties in 70 locations across Ireland, has cut many August rates from €700 a week to €500, a discount of almost 30 per cent.

"There has been a marked fall-off in pre-bookings and a rise in last-minute bookings this summer," said Padraig Hanrahan of the Irish Self-catering Federation, who owns a 12-house holiday complex in Ballybunion, in Co Kerry.

"Customers are negotiating on rates harder than ever before, with discounts of around 15 per cent off the list price pretty much now standard."

George Kelly, owner of two farmhouse properties near Killarney, also in Co Kerry, has seen bookings fall by between 10 and 15 per cent.

"I don't ever remember customers negotiating for deals before, either. Others are having it tougher, though. One friend of mine has no bookings at all for August for the first time in 20 years," he said.

Catherine Redmond has been running three holiday properties in Wexford since 2002. "This is without doubt my most challenging year yet," she said.

"Up to last year we could have filled up several times over. This year we are running at about 80 per cent occupancy. New customers are thin on the ground."

The www.irelandathome.com website is offering discounts of €100 on selected self-catering holidays for August, while Imagine Ireland, which markets Irish properties to the UK, is offering reductions of £100 (€126) as standard.

"Owners are seeing the writing on the wall. If they aren't willing to negotiate they are not getting the business," said Annette Collins, a director of Imagine Ireland. "It's good news for punters."

Prices are falling fastest in areas such as Kenmare, in Co Kerry, Bundoran, in Co Donegal, and Kilkee, in Co Clare, which have seen the greatest holiday-home development over the past decade.

"Ten years ago there were 80 properties in Kenmare. Now there are over 1,000," said Mary Power of www.selfcatering.ie.

"Prices in such places have fallen from €920 a week for a four-star-graded property to about €600. In the same towns, owners that were looking for €600 a week last year are selling for €450 this year. For holidaymakers it's where the best value is to be found."