McGrory’s Hotel in Inishowen, Co Donegal, has 17 bedrooms
Entrepreneur Paddy Doherty has announced plans to increase his investment in hospitality projects to €13m. This includes two Inishowen projects in Co Donegal as well as the acquisition of Queens gastro pub in Dalkey, Co Dublin.
It includes his latest acquisition, McGrory’s Hotel, in his native Inishowen for around €1m. That hotel has 17 bedrooms and, with a further two houses in nearby Malin Head, he plans to cater for 60 high-end tourists per night in Inishowen.
The Irish Times reported that his Doherty Hospitality Group has agreed a deal to purchase the Queens in Dalkey for about €3.4m. Queens comes with planning permission for a 30-bedroom guesthouse. It follows his purchase last year of The Greedy Eagle gastro pub in nearby Glasthule village for around €4m from the Loyola Group.
Doherty founded Electro Automation Group which provides tolling services at Dublin Port Tunnel and is best known for its ‘easy trip’ road-tolling services. It also owns automation businesses in the UK and Germany.
Joint agents BDM Property and TDL Horizons handled the sale of McGrory’s Hotel in Culdaff, Co Donegal, not far from Doherty’s home town of Carndonagh.
Although Culdaff has a population of just 200 people, it is popular with holiday makers because of its blue flag beach. Being on the north-eastern side of the peninsula, it is relatively sheltered from the wildest aspects of the Atlantic. The picturesque plantation village is built on an ancient monastic site. It is 45 minutes from Derry city and a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Dublin Airport.
Niamh Walsh of TDL describes McGrory’s as being quintessentially Donegal. A native of the county herself, she says “once you walk in there you known you are in Donegal”.
The hotel comprises 17 guest bedrooms, bar, restaurant and the Backroom, which is renowned as a live-music venue. In early 2024, the hotel underwent an extensive refurbishment programme, including room upgrades and the installation of new catering kitchen and bar equipment. The deal also included a car park across the road from the hotel.
A family-owned establishment for over four generations, in 2024 it celebrated its centenary year. Inishowen is Ireland’s largest peninsula with a 100-mile coastline and is renowned for its dramatic landscapes. Culdaff is a short drive from Ireland’s most northerly point at Malin Head.
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