The Hoff Comes To Ireland

A chance to worship the Hoff in Person, is it too good to be missed?! Drinks at €3 in rip off Ireland isn't that bad a deal either ... if only I lived a bit closer to Naas ...

CLUB WILL PLAY HOST TO THE HOFF

BAYWATCH star David Hasselhoff is expected to visit Naas in the near future to formally launch the town’s newest nightclub, Bondi Beach.

The club opened its doors two weekends ago at what was formerly known as ‘the Bauhaus’ on the Newbridge Road and the response so far has been very positive. The new venture also sees Swan Dowling’s pub change its name for the first time since it opened – it’s now called ‘Ned Kelly’s’. Now management are busy trying to book the world’s most famous celluloid lifeguard, the mighty ‘Hoff’ himself, for the venue’s first beach party in October.

New owner Maurice Doolin opened his first Bondi Beach nightclub in Stillorgan in Dublin a year ago and the venue now attracts up to 1,500 people a night, seven nights a week. “The concept behind it is it’s all party music like when you go away on your holidays,” he explained. “When you walk into the place you think you are on the beach. It’s very bright and full of mirrors and there’s a beach bar and a cocktails bar.” He added: “The youngest DJ is 29 and there’s no dance music. The fun has gone out of nightclubs with dance music and people are taking it too seriously. But we’re bringing a bit of fun back to the nightclub scene. We even have a slow set.”

Maurice, who has worked in the entertainment industry for 25 years and opened 40 nightclubs in that time, said he was on the lookout for a venue in Naas for a while before the complex at Swan Dowlings came on the market. “Jim Power is my uncle so I used to come down to Naas every year for my summer holidays,” he revealed. “I always had great craic in Naas so I jumped at the chance of opening up here.”The nightclub – which has trebled its dance floor space – is open from Thursday to Sunday (admission €10) and all drinks are priced at €3. And the pub, which has an extended outdoor decking area complete with jacuzzi, now has a licence to stay open until 2am.

“By keeping the drink prices low it means a young couple with a mortgage can get a night out for a little over €40,” said Maurice. “The drinks in the pub will be priced at €3 as well.

“What we do in the club is three times a year we have a monster beach party and bring in 90 tonnes of sand. We also have a full-size swimming pool which holds about 25 people.”
The pub has also had a revamp. A cocktail bar takes centre stage and TV screens are mounted on the walls showing ‘live’ footage from the dance floor next door. Punters have the option of sending requests via text message. “Basically I’m reinventing the wheel,” said Maurice. “The game has gotten too serious with all that dance music so I’m bringing back fun to the nightclubs.”