Local election candidate calls for halt in sale of the Imperial Hotel

Sinn Féin local election candidate, Maura O’Sullivan, has called for The Imperial Hotel to be kept in public ownership.

Ms O'Sullivan said Mayo County Council ‘need to stand up and demand that this historic building is kept in public ownership’.

Castlebar Town Council acquired the empty hotel in 2011 for €800,000, and in 2021, €5 million in funding was secured to transform the hotel into public office space and an innovation hub.

Ms O’Sullivan asked why sell the hotel, ‘“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 established the Irish Land League in 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 of those who laboured upon it.

The Land League introduced the word ‘boycott’ into the English language. Ms O’Sullivan pointed out that under private ownership, 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, this iconic building should be kept in public ownership and protected for future generations,” she said.

The Mayo county council candidate explained that the public ownership of the hotel would have a ‘positive impact’ on Castlebar’s economy. Ms O’Sullivan said that ‘a creative approach’ to developing the site is needed to ensure it becomes a main attraction in Castlebar and brings visitors to the county town.

“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,” she concluded.