AN American businessman has secured financial backing from a company based in the Silicon Valley in California to host a major film festival in Ballybunion in 2007.

Former Mayor of San Jose Tom McEnery, who is also behind the ?25m hotel project in the North Kerry resort, is in Kerry this week to hold a series of meetings with planners and architects.

He is confident that once the new hotel is built, Ballybunion will develop along the lines of Kinsale and Kenmare as a gourmet and cultural centre, with the film festival becoming a pivotal event.

Mr McEnery is currently Chairman of the Silicon Valley Film Festival, which ranks along with Cannes in France and Sundance in Utah as one of the top film festivals in the world. While he has extensive business interests in the States, he is keen to advance the hotel project in Ballybunion, as his grandparents came from North Kerry and he has been a regular visitor here for many years.

The architects behind the project, Murray/O?Laoire of Dublin, have since scaled down the size of the hotel from 119 rooms to between 70 and 85, and they have also brought down the height by one full storey.

The revised plans were re-submitted to the council this week and a decision is expected to be made within the next 30 days.

Mr McEnery said he was not disappointed at having to modify his original plans; neither was he surprised that there were a number of objections.

He said he was greatly heartened by the fact that 600 people have signed a petition in Ballybunion supporting the hotel and he was determined that it would advance, despite the setbacks.

News Source: The Kerryman Newspaper