Great Southern Hotels

In an effort to encourage tourism the Killarney Junction Railway, which was operated by the GS&WR, opened a hotel next to Killarney station. This was in 1854, which made it the first railway-owned hotel in Ireland. In the following years the GS&WR established further hotels in County Kerry at Caragh Lake, Kenmare, Parknasilla and Waterville. The company also owned small commercial hotels at Limerick Junction and near its stations in Dublin and Cork.

In 1925 the hotels became part of Great Southern Hotels, a subsidiary of Great Southern Railways, later part of CIE. CIE sold the chain to Aer Rianta who closed a few of the lossmaking hotels, and ran the others for some years. The Great Southern Hotels Group was dissolved in 2006, when its hotels were sold off separately to private investors.

1853 – Great Southern Hotel, Galway

Architect: John Skipton Mulvany

“The new terminus at the latter place,

1854 – Great Southern Hotel, Killarney, Co. Kerry

Architect: Frederick Darley

Constructed after an architectural competition in 1852,

1890s – Former Great Southern Hotel, Caragh Lake, Killorglin, Co. Kerry

Served by a small station by the Great Southern Railways Company,

1894 – Great Southern Hotel, Kenmare, Co. Kerry

Architect: J.F. Fuller

Purpose built hotel constructed for the Great Southern Railways Company as part of their scheme to bring tourists to the Kerry area via their railway routes.

1894 – Great Southern Hotel, Parknasilla, Co. Kerry

Architect: J.F. Fuller

Originally started out as Parknasilla House after the Bland family built Derryquin Castle on the grounds as a new resience.

1894 – Great Southern Hotel, Waterville, Co. Kerry

Later much extended from its original 1894 appearance. Architect unknown for the alterations by the railway company in 1894,

1897 – Former Great Southern Hotel, Mulranny, Co. Mayo

Architect: T.N. Deane & Son

Constructed between 1895 and 1897 by the Midland &