This article is from page 2 of the 2011-05-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
THE former Two Mile Inn in Meelick, which closed in September of last year, has been bought with a view to re-opening it as a nursing home, The Clare People has learned.
The move would bring a substantial number of new jobs to the area.
Those directly involved with the sale were remaining tight-lipped about the detail, but sources in Meelick have confirmed that the plans are to have a state-of-the-art nursing home development on the site.
Tom Crosse of GVM autioneers in Limerick, who handled the sale, would say only that the property had been bought in trust by a firm of so- licitors, and that he understands there possibly may be plans to look at reopening as a nursing home.
The auctioneer would not comment on the purchase price but other sources have put the sale price in the region of € 1.25 million.
It’s not known when work might start on the new home. However, the property would be an ideal location for such a venture, with ample accomodation possibilities and car parking facilities.
The price tag on the value of the once popular hotel plummeted by € 6 million, from more than € 7 million, in the 12 months before it closed. There had ben interest previously but no deal emerged.
When the Two Mile Inn finally shut its doors, 15 full-time staff lost their jobs but many more than that would have been employed when the hotel was at its peak.
A series of efforts were made to find a buyer before Price Waterhouse Coopers put it on the market through GVM at a reduced price tag last November and invited tenders.
It is understood that the sale attracted considerable interest when the lower price tag was revealed.
One of Limerick’s longest-established hotels, the Two Mile Inn was built by Tom Ryan and later taken over by local hotelier Brendan Dunne in the mid-1970s.
In October 2008, Billy O’Riordan of PriceWaterhouseCoopers was appointed as receiver and he placed the hotel on the market as a going concern.
At the time, the price being sought was in the region of € 7 million. However, two years later, when a buyer could not be found, the asking price was slashed to € 1.2 million.
At the time, Mr Crosse described this as a “giveaway price” for such a substantial, high-profile property.
The property features 123 bedrooms, a bar/restaurant area and conferencing facilities as well as extensive car parking space. It occupies an 11-acre site on the Ennis dual carriageway, with easy access to Ennis, Shannon and Limerick city.