Mayo Manchester couple Pat and Mary Mulhern have just invested just over 1 million Euro in completing the first phase in bringing back the much loved iconic Dolphin Hotel in Crossmolina back to life. Pat was born in Lahardane and runs Pat Mulhern Civil Engineering in Mayo, he also runs PMCE Ltd in Manchester. The couple purchased the Dolphin Hotel just over a year ago when it was under the name of O’Malleys Bar and Grill. Their first decision was to bring back the hotel’s original name by re-branding the iconic landmark building in the centre of Crossmolina village as The ‘Dolphin Hotel and Mulhern’s Bar and Restaurant’.

When asked about why he decided to purchase the hotel Pat replied “I have always loved the hotel, it means a great deal to the village and it has had a great reputation in the past as a wedding venue, it holds a lot of fond memories for people in the area. We also saw a gap in the market for a boutique hotel which could provide accommodation for guests having their wedding or function in the hotel and tourists who visit the area, or those families who come home to visit their relatives. Our wedding functions are back up and running and it is great to see the community using the function room to host everything from Irish Dancing classes to Boxing Tournaments and live Theatre. We love being involved in the community in Crossmolina and when the MacHale Rovers Ladies GAA team came over to Manchester to play their All Ireland Quarter Final, we were only too happy to help them find their accommodation and help make a contribution towards its cost.”

The first phase of the Hotel is now complete and the performers from the Mayo Manchester Tradfest together with Alan Keegan from Manchester United Football Club marked its completion during the summer with a performance which brought the village to a standstill. Tony Hennigan from the Tourism and Business group commented “We were delighted to have been invited by Pat and Mary to visit the hotel in Crossmolina, they have done a great job in bringing the hotel back to life. The group had a lovely meal in the restaurant and we cannot wait for Phase 2 when the Boutique hotel will be up and running. The nearest hotels for people visiting the area are situated in Ballina and Belmullet and the area which is in the middle of these two locations has needed its own hotel accommodation for quite some time. I have enjoyed watching events in the hotel during the Crossmolina Festival and the function room is a great facility for the community. It is great to see someone with such a strong Mayo and Manchester connection investing in the area and we would like to wish them the best of luck in their new enterprise.”

The hotel’s bar, restaurant and function room are now fully operational with the restaurant serving food 7 days a week from 9am in the morning until 9pm at night using locally sourced ingredients which is already gaining them 5 star reviews. The second phase of creating ten ensuite bedrooms as part of the Boutique Hotel are nearing completion. The interiors have been designed and created by local interior designer Catherine Ruane whose work has been featured on the RTE TV series ‘At Your Service’.

Once the Boutique hotel and Phase two is complete, Pat and Mary do not intend to rest on their laurels and have major plans in mind for further developing the site to secure its future as a major community asset for Crossmolina village and the North Mayo area.

For more information about the Dolphin Hotel visit their facebook page www.facebook.com/DolphinhotelCrossmolina

or on instagram at www.instagram.com/thedolphinhotelmayo

or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thedolphinmayo

Tel 00353 96 31640

Email dolphinhotelmayo@gmail.com