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Spectrum Tour offer Gweedore Hotel, Drinking and Eating in Ireland Gweedore, An Chúirt Hotel, Gweedore, an experience of utter relaxation in Donegal awaits you |
Articles » Gweedore Hotel
An Chúirt Hotel, Gweedore, an experience of utter relaxation in Donegal awaits you
It may have been 125 years ago, yet the lights of the Old Gweedore Hotel still welcome the night-time traveller as they head towards Gweedore. After travelling 28 miles from Letterkenny, through Glenveagh National park and past Errigal Mountain, you approach the An Chúirt Hotel. The floodlight frontage is impressive as you draw near, alongside the Clady River. The reflection on the water adds a mystic quality and you can imagine how relieved Mr Ralston-Wright felt at seeing these welcome lights after such a barren journey all those years ago.
The Old Gweedore Hotel is now a part of this area’s history, and in its place stands a fitting tribute to what was once Donegal’s premier quality hotel. The An Chúirt Hotel is built on the foundations of what was formerly Lord George Hill’s residence in Gweedore from the 1830’s. More recently the house was used as a hunting lodge and then as a Hotel during the early part of the 20th century. This famous old house then fell to wreck and ruin towards the end of this century. Late in the 1980’s Mr Patrick Doherty, a local man, along with his wife Mena and daughter Patricia, dedicated themselves to its restoration. The quality of the workmanship, and their passion to maintain the atmosphere of the old hotel is evident everywhere. Fine Art, quality fabrics and furnishings, porcelain antiques and pieces of historic relevance, add to the welcome any traveller can experience as they step back in time, on first crossing the flagstone floor.
An Chúirt has so much more to offer the tired traveller. The hotel boasts 19 en-suite rooms, all furnished to a superior quality. Two of these are Four-Poster rooms and many have frontal views of Errigal Mountain to greet you when you wake up in the morning. All rates are quoted on a Bed and Breakfast basis. The popular restaurant offers an extensive A La Carte menu every evening, which is accompanied by a comprehensive wine list. Lunch is served here every Sunday and indeed, the hotel becomes a magnet for families on these lazy afternoons. The focus here is on service and customer satisfaction. To this end all of the staff have been highly trained and represent the kind of service you would associate more with the 1900’s than the modern day.
The snug bar is open to residents and visitors alike, and enjoys picturesque views of the Clady River and the surrounding unspoilt countryside. During the summer evenings you can sit and watch the salmon jumping for flies in the shallows. In the late evenings, traditional music takes precedent and the local hostelries and pubs come alive with music and song.
The Heritage centre, adjacent to the hotel contains a bi-lingual centre and both audio and visual displays. The content gives an interesting and in-depth description of this area, its people and their way of life in years gone by. The centre also contains a function room with a bar and portable dance floor, suitable for all those family occasions.
If you need to take a break where you can unwind and experience the best in relaxation and comfort, you must travel to Gweedore where the welcome lights are always beckoning.
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