THE DATE of Easter should be fixed to "prevent confusion and disruption to the business community, churches, schools and the general public", the new president of the Irish Hotels Federations has said.
Matthew Ryan, who is managing director of the Grand Hotel in Malahide and the Marine Hotel in Sutton, told delegates yesterday at the federation's annual conference in Kilkenny: "Easter is literally a moveable feast - early one year, late the next. This year we have St Patrick's Day falling in Easter week, which is causing all sorts of disruption to business and church services alike."
Mr Ryan said that the late Pope Paul VI had proposed in 1975 that Easter should be celebrated on the second Sunday of April, which is the closest Sunday to April 9th, the generally-accepted date of the Resurrection. He added that a fixed date would benefit church and school authorities and "simplify matters for everyone".
The federation represents more than 1,000 hotels and guesthouses, employing 57,000 people.
Delegates yesterday also called on the Government to ensure that Cork Airport Authority remained debt-free and "commercially independent" after its final split from the Dublin Airport Authority.