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Thu 06 Jun 2007Barrett to add €50m Ashford to his empireGalway businessman Gerry Barrett is poised to acquire Ashford Castle, the upmarket hotel in Co Mayo that has hosted personalities as diverse as Tony Blair, Ronald Reagan, Britt Ekland, Brad Pitt and Jerry Springer.Mr Barrett, who last year acquired three of the Great Southern hotels, is in exclusive talks to buy the castle and its surrounding lands for a sum in excess of €50 million. His plans for the hotel are unknown.