Plea for proposed sale of iconic Mayo hotel to be halted
A candidate in next June's Mayo County Council elections is calling for the Imperial Hotel in Castlebar to be kept in public ownership.
Sinn Féin's Maura O’Sullivan said: “Mayo County councillors need to stand up and demand that this historic building be kept in the public ownership."
Castlebar Town Council acquired the empty hotel on The Mall in in 2011 for €800,000.
In 2021, €5 million in funding was secured totransform the hotel into public office space and an “innovation hub."
“Why sell the hotel”, O’Sullivan asked, “when we have secured the money for its restoration and development?"
The Imperial Hotel, originally known as Daly’s Hotel, is a site of profound historical significance.
Built in 1720, it was there that Michael Davitt and James Daly establised the Irish Land League on August 16, 1879.
Under Davitt’s guidance, the Land League forged itself into a mass agrarian movement that led to the eventual demise of the oppressive landlord system in Ireland.
The Land League’s strategy of mass civil disobedience brought millions of acres of farmland back into the ownership those who laboured upon it.
The Land League introduced the word “boycott” into the English language.
Under private ownership, O’Sullivan pointed out, there is no guarantee that the hotel’s role in the Land League struggle would be preserved.
“In the spirit of Michael Davitt and in his memory," O’Sullivan said, “this iconic building should kept in public ownership and protected for future generations.”
O’Sullivan concluded: “Public ownership of the hotel would have a positive impact on Castlebar’s economy.
"A creative approach to developing the site is needed to ensure it becomes a main attraction to bring visitors to Castlebar.
"Under private ownership, there would be no guarantee that the legacy of Davitt, the Land League and the hotel would be maintained in collective memory.
“Mayo County Council will decide the fate of the Imperial Hotel. I urge councillors to think beyond the electoral cycle to the long term development of the culture and heritage in Castlebar.”