Two Athlone hotels set to fully re-open to the public

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Two local hotels are set to fully re-open to the public in the coming weeks, as residents living in State-supported Ukrainian accomodation are to be relocated.

A total of 101 residents currently residing in the Creggan Court Hotel will be relocated by Sunday, May 31, as the provider of State-supported Ukrainian accommodation has not renewed its contract.

Ukrainian residents have been living in the hotel since March 2022, when all rooms closed to the public to accomodate refugee families.

“We are looking forward to welcoming back the public fully in the coming months,” said General Manager of the Creggan Court Hotel, Phily Byrne.

“The hotel has remained open on the food and beverage side throughout the contract, and we've retained all of our staff members. We have continued to support local initiatives such as the St Kieran's Christmas Dinner, as well as other local charities and GAA clubs.

“We've always been very supportive of our community, while supporting the Ukrainian community in their time of need. We are excited to fully reopen to the general public.”

The hotel, part of the Great National Hotels & Resorts group, was built in the year 2000. In 2014, it was sold to a private Irish-based investor.

The hotel boasts The Lemon Tree restaurant, which can seat 80, and the Granary Bar, and a total of 72 bedrooms located on three levels. It also has four meeting rooms. It has undergone a series of upgrades over the past year to its bar and restaurant.

In December last, another local hotel The Prince of Wales ended its contract with the Department, which had accommodated a total of 17 Ukrainian residents.

The former Prince of Wales Hotel will reopen to guests as The Prince Rooms on Friday, May 1, more than three years after it closed to the public in order to house people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

In an announcement posted to its social media channels in March of this year, The Prince Rooms said that "the wait is nearly over" for its reopening as guest accommodation at the beginning of May.

The Prince Rooms is describing itself as "a new, modern rooms-only stay designed for comfort, simplicity and independent travel" and the Midlands' "first fully-automated" guest accommodation offering.The Prince of Wales Hotel is one of Athlone's most long-established businesses, having accommodated its first guests in the 19th century.

The hotel remains in the ownership of the Callanan Hotels group which also owns the Skeffington Arms hotel in Eyre Square, Galway.

The Department of Justice said where a contract is ended by the Department or the provider, any residents who wish to continue to avail of State-supported accommodation may be relocated to alternative Ukraine accommodation. The Department provides information on this process and details of contracts that are ending on gov.ie.

"[The Creggan Court] chose to terminate their contract with the Department and residents are due to be relocated from the property by 31st of May 2026. The Department provided information through the accommodation provider to the residents, to let them know that the contract is ending with that provider.

"Residents who wish to continue to receive state-funded accommodation will be provided with a placement at another location. To preserve people’s privacy, the Department does not provide information about where people are being placed.

"Every effort will be made to keep residents as local as possible, and HSE assessed medical needs can be taken into account in relocations, but local alternatives are not always possible due to availability of suitable accommodation options in the area."

Residents who request continued State accommodation will be moved, with the Department has to make "best use of existing accommodation contracts", noting "new locations may not be in the same area".