It might strike some as an unusual place to find Ireland's first, purpose-built hotel & spa, at the gateway to the Beara peninsula, a 90-minute drive from Cork city, well out beyond Bantry. But the much-loved Eccles Hotel was once at the centre of a thriving tourism route, mostly by steam-boat, from Cork City to the famous bay, around to Kenmare in Kerry, in an era when travellers were not in such a rush. First established in 1745, the Four-Star Eccles is now on the market with a price tag of €5m.
The Eccles has had a very colourful history, wrapped up in the major events in West Cork. There has been a hostelry on the site since 1745 but the current building went up in 1890, built by the Eccles family. The hotel was leased to the British war office from 1918 – 1920, acting as a rest home for soldiers injured and traumatised by World War One.
During the War of Independence, it was the local HQ for troops from the hated Essex Regiment, the main British army force opposing the Irish Republican Army in Cork and the Flying Brigades. In its time, it's seen some famour visitors, some of whom came to visit Garnish Island, when it was established as a retreat for artists. Guests have included George Bernard Shaw, who stayed for months in 1910 and is believed to have written in the hotel, and William Buter Yeats, who was a regular visitor in the 1920s.
President Michael D Higgins is a fan, he stayed there when travel re-opened after the toughest times of the recent pandemic. In mor.
