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 Hayes Hotel, Thurles, Co Tipperary Historic Hayes Hotel hotel, situated here in Thurles Co Tipperary, where the GAA was first founded, has been sold today at the Allsop Space auction for €650,000.
A solicitor, representing the new purchasers was present to conduct bidding at the auction, however afterwards refused to be drawn by media as to the new clients true identity; stating that the new owner wished to remain anonymous for the time being.
The Hotel in Thurles, went under the hammer initially with a reserve price of a mere €500,000.
Hayes Hotel
Hayes Hotel traded under the name ‘The Star and Garter’ in the 18th Century. The hotel was purchased in the 1830’s by Mr William Boyton and became known as ‘Boyton’s Hotel’. In the 1870’s the hotel was then purchased by Miss Eliza J. Hayes and became known as ‘Hayes’ Commercial and Family Hotel’.
On November 1st, 1884, a group of Irishmen, Michael Cusack, Maurice Davin, John K. Bracken, George McCarthy, P.J. Ryan, John Wise-Power and John McKay gathered in the then hotel’s billiard room, later to be known as the ‘Red Room’ to formulate a plan to establish an organisation to foster and preserve Ireland’s unique games and athletic pastimes. The end result was the foundation one of the world’s greatest amateur associations, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
Despite going into receivership in April 2013, Hayes’ Hotel today still remains a popular venue for sportsmen, local people and tourists alike.
  
Hayes Hotel, Thurles, Co Tipperary Hayes Hotel, situated in Liberty Square here in Thurles and the birthplace of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), is finally set to go under the hammer at the next Allsops Space auction; to be held on September 16th 2014.
The Allsop Space Catalogue (Lot No 82) lists the sale as follows:-
Hayes Hotel is an historic 30 bedroom hotel comprising a reception, Cusack’s Bar, lounge bar, coffee dock, two nightclubs, together with 30 bedrooms extends to approximately 1,949.9 sq. m (19,901 sq. ft) in a town centre location and holding a 7 day publican’s licence
The premises are situated on a site extending to approximately 0.44 hectares (1.08 acres). The property is arranged over ground with two upper floors to provide a hotel. The adjoining building comprises a former shop and seven bedrooms.
The property has not been internally inspected or measured by Allsop Space and viewing times, as this article goes to print have not as yet been confirmed. The premises are being offered with vacant possession and with a guideline of just €450,000 – €500,000.
I don’t know about you, our regular readers, but it would appear rather peculiar to me, that as Failte Ireland, using taxpayers funding, set about spending some €20m to design a new logo for Dublin city, (Thus making it a more attractive city for women tourists no less), that a building bearing such important national historic importance is being completely cast aside, without a threatened revolt by lovers of our national games. (Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin must be turning in their graves.)
Still I suppose someone will eventually purchase this piece of our nation’s history and could then move its front facade to Dublin’s National Museum, in keeping with every other historical artefact stolen from Co. Tipperary and held in our nation’s capital city in recent years.
Hayes Hotel, Thurles, Co Tipperary Thurles born and Tipperary left corner-forward ‘All Stars Hurler of the Year 2010,’ Mr Lar Corbett, International boxing star Mr Matthew Macklin and Thurles businessman Mr Kevin Coppinger are understood to be the current front runners interested in a take-over of the birthplace of the GAA, namely Hayes Hotel, Liberty Square in Thurles, Co Tipperary.
Amid calls from leading figures, including former GAA president and MEP Sean Kelly, for the premises to be purchased by the GAA, this historic hotel presently in receivership since last April, may now have been thrown a possible lifeline if a deal can be reached by vendor and interested purchasers.
Professional boxing champion Matthew Macklin, known as “The Tipperary Tornado,” though himself not a Thurles native, has indeed strong roots close to the town through his mother who is a native of Holycross, latter a village just outside Thurles. Matthew, a regular visitor to Ireland and an attendee at Tipperary sporting events, has himself in the past represented Tipperary in U-16 hurling, before choosing to concentrate on his sport of boxing.
In 2011, Lar launched “Lar Corbett’s Bar“ at Coppinger’s Bar, 4 Parnell Street in Thurles and both businessmen more recently also have acquired the Park Avenue Hotel, converting same into a popular Italian restaurant, “Puccini’s,” situated on the corner of Friar Street and Mathew Avenue, in Thurles.
Corbett has previously travelled to New York to watch Macklin train and last December, Corbett and Coppinger were believed to be both present in Atlantic City when Macklin beat American Lamar Russ in a middleweight bout.
This local Thurles / Tipperary “Trioka” are understood to have confirmed that an interest in purchasing this historic Hayes Hotel has been privately expressed and is now a possibility, subject to a suitable deal being agreed and accepted.
Hayes Hotel, Thurles, Co Tipperary Enda Kenny was busy down in Castlebar today, attempting to make 60 Senators redundant.
Meanwhile back here in Thurles, Co Tipperary, those placed with the custodial responsibility for the property of others, were also busy little bees, behaving in a somewhat secretive and similar fashion, attempting to reduce the turnover of one of our town’s historical landmarks and a world renowned place of annual pilgrimage.
Receiverships, even in Ireland, are normally observed as an equitable solution whose purpose is to protect a distressed company’s tangible and intangible assets. The obligations of receivers, both moral and otherwise when appointed, come under two headings;
(1) Secure and realise the entity and assets of the company to which they are assigned and where possible retain employees.
(2) Manage the affairs of the company in order to resolve all / any debts outstanding.
As a former employee of the hotel industry for many years, I find myself, when in need of a cup of coffee or a bite to eat, being drawn more to Hotels rather than the Tea Shop or the local Take-Away. As a lover of local history and folklore, you can therefore usually expect to find me supping my cup of coffee in a quiet corner of our famous landmark hostelry known worldwide as Hayes Hotel, home of the GAA and situated here in the very heart of Thurles.
In April last, Hayes Hotel, Thurles, went into receivership. No great shame on its current owners, who had dared to dream, taken a business gamble which if successful would have offered badly needed and considerable full time and part-time employment to our rural community. Six years ago encouraged by our now retired bankers they borrowed and were encouraged to do so, in the name of further necessary business expansion. This encouraged business accepted finance, gambled and lost heavily, when those who had offered umbrellas on sunny days recalled same at the first sign of cloudy sky. (Our readers will have met some of these same banking fraternity today, who despite being in receipt of vast pensions, were contracted to ‘strut their stuff’ behind polling booth tables, drawing lines through voters names, practically everywhere around this island of ours. This is despite the needs of 410,000 unemployed persons who could have happily undertaken this work and supplemented their meagre incomes.)
Having fallen on hard times, KPMG appointed receivers to Hayes Hotel, who confirmed that business would continue as normal and there would be no noticeable interruptions to current day-to-day trading activity. The hotel would continue to fully honour all customer bookings, all deposits and all current memberships.
The appointment of this new management operation was seen here by Thurles residents and business people as yet another blow to an already ailing uncertain rural town economy forced to resort to the use of savings to retain their essential staff and fund new trading stock.
I had noticed during my past few visits to Hayes that my favourite good humoured receptionist was missing, so on my visit this morning I had reason to query her absence as two friends had asked me to book a double room for next weekend. “She does not work here any more and we do not offer accommodation presently,” came the rather apologetic reply from the polite receptionist. With offers of help to obtain alternative accommodation I retreated to the bar area and having concluded other business, I left to make further discreet local inquiries as to the hotels welfare.
The following information gleaned from others, including previous employees, (Current Management point blankly refused to discuss the situation) revealed that since going into receivership in April there has been a systematic down grading of the profitable aspects of this establishment.
Hard working staff have now been cast out to exist on the generosity of the Irish Free State via Dole and Redundancy payments. In recent weeks essential staff; e.g. two Receptionists, two Night Porters, a Resident Disc Jockey and two House Keepers have had their employment terminated. Bedrooms are now closed, the nightclub is closed. Unconfirmed reports from these staff also state that essential maintenance is being undertaken by non local contract operators.
Is it impossible to make a profit from an already established popular weekend Nightclub and is it impossible not to make a profit from bedroom accommodation, even if staff employed were being paid slightly over and above the minimum hourly wage? Why are profitable aspects of this trading enterprise now being closed up?
Local readers stop and think for a moment and ask the questions; “What would Liberty Square be like if this hotel is to be abandoned?” Is Hayes Hotel being deliberately reduced to a valueless entity in time for the next AllSop Space auction? Is it now to be a case of “Last out, please turn off the lights?”
KPMG and their appointed receivers know the answer, but may need reminding that Hayes Hotel is not simply just another property. For many it is a place of annual pilgrimage and a national monument, whose patrons should not be angered. Politicians would do well to remember that Tipperary fired the first shots of the war of Independence once before and just may decide to do the same again before the next election.
If ten jobs had being made available in Thurles this morning, Enda Kenny, RTE, the head of the IDA (whatever his name is), Richard Bruton, Noel Coonan and their ‘handlers’ would have all been strutting around town displaying puffed up chests, spitting out dodgy CSO statistics on their success in creating employment. Unemployment like emigration on the other hand are dirty words best not discussed in any great detail.
Let us see if our Dublin orientated national news seeking journalistic friends will cover this catastrophe, concerning rural Ireland, in their newspapers this week.
 The Tipperary tourism group Hidden Tipperary, in association with Thurles Chamber of Commerce are proud to confirm that Folk Singing Star and Composer Nora Fogarty will be performing at a seated concert in “The Factory,” Hayes Hotel, Thurles on Friday night next, August 16th 2013 at 9.00 pm.
In the vein of singers like Mary Black and Delores Keane, but with none of the copy cat characteristics one associates with many others in her profession, this Kilkenny born vocalist will be performing Country, Ballad and Folk Songs from her massive répertoire; songs indeed which she is frequently asked to sing at previous concert events.
Just a few of the songs that music lovers can expect to hear from the exciting voice of Nora will include “You Needed Me,” (latter version best attributed to multiple award-winning Canadian singer Anne Murray), the late American singer-songwriter Randy VanWarmer’s “Just When I Needed You Most,” Christy Moore’s “Go, Move, Shift,” Joni Mitchell’s ” Both Sides Now.”
Then add songs like “Caledonia,” “The leaving of Nancy,” “Go Lassie Go,” (Latter version best attributed to Tipperary’s late great Liam Clancy) and “Shattered Dreams,” which radio listeners have heard her play regularly, then “believe you me,” you are about to experience one serious night of quality free entertainment.
I kid you not, from the sheer power of her vocal ability, her professionalism, not to mention her superb guitar playing aptitude; Nora Fogarty’s solo concert performance on Friday night next, is one event just not to be missed.
As stated, entry to this event is totally free to all and the Hayes Hotel in Liberty Square will also be providing free finger food to the assembled audience, during the shows interval.
Note: Be warned – Doors will close sharp at 9.00 pm, so make sure you are on time to grab a drink & a seat.
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