One of my favourite posts on the blog so far was about trying to identify the oldest restaurant in the city. The comments, arguments and people’s memories that followed were brilliant.
This morning I had the idea to try to find out Dublin city’s oldest hotel. As you do.
Google brought up a whole range of contradictory answers. The Ormond Quay Hotel was described as “Dublin’s oldest hotel”, The Gresham as “Ireland’s oldest hotel”, The Shelbourne as the “oldest hotel in Dublin”, Wynns as “Dublin city centre’s oldest hotel ” and The Castle Hotel as “the oldest hotel in Dublin”
The Ormond (Quay) Hotel if still open, it closed in 2005, could not be Dublin’s oldest hotel. It was opened in 1900.
The Gresham Hotel on O’Connell Street would have a good chance, it was established in 1817.
The Shelbourne on St. Stephen’s Green, which many people may think was Dublin’s oldest hotel, opened its doors in 1824.
Wynn’s on Upper Abbey Street, which I personally did not think was particularly old, was in fact established in 1845.
However, it’s the relatively unknown Castle Hotel on Great Denmark Street which wins the prize for the oldest hotel in Dublin in continuous existence. It was opened by a Mrs. McCrory in 1809.
Buswells (estd. 1882) on Molesworth Street deserves an honourable mention. As does perhaps The Clarence on Wellington Quay which, though completely renovated in 1992, was originally opened in 1852.
Then there are others like The Westbury (estd. 1984), The Merrion (estd. 1995) and The Westin (estd. 2001) who I thought had been on the Dublin landscape for a lot longer.
I wouldn’t call a 19th century hotel, full of original features ‘non-descript’ tbh. Sure, you may not have heard of it, but others have!
Point taken. I meant nondescript in compared to the size and ‘famous’ names of The Gresham and The Shelbourne.
That’s cool, very interesting to hear though.. the Northside of the city has many secrets I imagine, particularly in terms of Georgian development
Interesting post but…
My ma says she’s running the oldest hotel in Dublin. I’m 76 and still living at home..
Does the Brazen Head not count? I thought it was originally an inn for people travelling up from the country. If inns no longer count as hotels, both Jury’s and The Holiday may lodge objections…
The Brazen Head is not an Inn anymore though so it is automatically disqualified. Perhaps I should have been more specific and stated I was looking for Dublin’s oldest, working hotel.
I would have also guesed that the Brazen Head would be regarded as one of the oldest hotels in Dublin. I remember in Eamon McThomas’s ”Dublin, a personal view” he showed the window on the stairwell where a guest had scribed his name with a diamond ring in the 1700’s. Eamon was able to go throught the guest book and he found the guys name who wrote his name on the pain of glass. If anyone is interested, you can still see this name, Pop in for a pint and go up the stairs, I think it leads to a restraunt now but as far as I know you can still see the name. Another gem in Dublins hidden history.
Does anyone know if you can buy Eamon McThomas’s ”Dublin, a personal view” ? DVD ? Seen iy years ago on RTE. Great documentry.
True that.
Picture and mention of it here:
https://comeheretome.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/oldest-graffiti-in-dublin/
All the best.
The Kildare Street Hotel was opened in 1837
Eamon Mc Thomas and his wonderful journeys through Dublin were just great and they just stopped !I am informed he was taken off the air because of his republican connections. We lost one of the great story tellers.It would be great if rte could repeat this series.I believe Eamon passed away some years ago.
I wish RTE would release Dublin – A Personal View on DVD. Absolutely fascinating.
[…] to figure out what Dublin’s oldest hotel was, the Dublin strike that lasted fourteen years, Phoenix Park’s Free Peace Festivals in the […]
Michael Collins stayed in room 204 in the Castle Hotel. The room is still there although it it is now en suite and furnished and decorated to a modern standard. The infamous Black Widow also worked there 40 years ago as a hotel receptionist! Around the corner on Nth Frederick Street, Walton’s music shop also used to operate a hotel upstairs over the shop. This is now merged into the Castle Hotel. And next door, the renowned Harry Clarke had his first shop and workshop. There is a huge amount of fascinating history in this part of Dublin.
Hi
Was there ever a WIKLOW HOTEL located in Dublin??
Thank you
Peter
Yes, the Wicklow Hotel on Wicklow St.
http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000299505