Cassidy Group acquires Dublin’s Barry’s Hotel

The Cassidy Hotel Group, chaired by Castlepollard man and former Fianna Fáil TD and senator Donie Cassidy, has added Barry’s Hotel to its growing portfolio in Dublin’s city centre.

The landmark townhouse hotel, located at 1-2 Great Denmark Street, becomes the fourth hotel owned by the group in this area north of O’Connell Street.

Real estate advisors JLL sold the property on behalf of a private investor to the Cassidy Hotel Group, who were advised on the transaction by CBRE Group.

A property with a long-established and profitable trading history, Barry’s boasts 33 guestrooms and attractive Georgian features throughout, and has extensive development potential.

Holding memories for many across the city and originally built as the Lord Tullamore’s townhouse in 1780, the building was converted into a hotel in 1889 and is one of the oldest hotels in the city.

Barry’s has a long and eventful history, including playing a leading part in both the 1916 rising and the war of independence, when numerous Irish leaders, including Éamon de Valera and Michael Collins, were guests there. Indeed, Collins is said to have fired gun shots from the windows of the hotel during the revolutionary period.

In the dance and cabaret era (1950s to 1980s), the extensive ballroom at Barry’s Hotel hosted Irish showbands, country music dances and numerous international performers including Donovan, members of The Rolling Stones and U2.

The hotel is steeped in Gaelic games history and is well known to GAA fans, as it is conveniently located only 900 metres away from Croke Park. In the early 1900s, football and hurling teams would tog out in Barry’s Hotel before running up to play in Croke Park. Central Council and Leinster Council meetings were held in the hotel for years.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Donie Cassidy, chairman of the Cassidy Hotel Group, said that he looks forward to having Barry’s Hotel reopened and trading in the spring of 2022.

Paul Collins, Head of Hotels Ireland, CBRE added: “We are delighted to have acted for the Cassidy family in the acquisition of this historic Dublin hotel.

“Barry’s Hotel is a strategic investment for the Cassidy Group who already own three hotels in the immediate area – Cassidy’s Hotel, the Belvedere and Hotel 7.

“The Group have great confidence in this part of Dublin which is set to enjoy significant regeneration in the coming years with the redevelopment of Clerys and Hammerson’s exciting plans for Dublin Central on O’Connell Street.”