// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Hardiman suit say? "I'm exos-keleton staff.
| The Hardiman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Hardiman Hotel | |
  Location within Galway | |
| Former names | The Railway Hotel Great Southern Hotel Hotel Meyrick |
General information | |
| Type | Hotel |
Architectural style | Victorian |
| Location | 14-15 Eyre Square, Galway, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°16′26″N 9°02′53″W / 53.273992°N 9.047991°W |
| Opened | 16 August 1852 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | John Skipton Mulvany |
| Engineer | William Dargan |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Hardiman is a hotel located in Galway City. It was designed by architect John Skipton Mulvany.[1][2]
History
[edit]In May 1849, the government loaned the Midland Great Western Railway £500,000 as a famine relief measure to construct a railway line between Athlone and Galway, with the requirement that the line be finished by the end of 1851.[3]
The line was completed in August 1851, ahead of schedule and with money to spare. Following a feasibility report by MGWR engineer George Willoughby Hemans, the Midland Great Western Railway decided to divert the remaining funds of the loan to construct a railway hotel. This was the first of a number of hotels constructed by the company.[3][4]
The building was designed by Irish architect John Skipton Mulvany, who was an architect for MGWR. The building contract was awarded to engineer William Dargan who used limestone to construct the facade.[1]
The building first opened on 16 August 1852 as The Railway Hotel.[1]
On 8 September 1924, the Dáil approved the merger of all railway companies in the Irish Free State.[5] This saw the Great Southern and Western Railway and Midland Great Western Railway merge to form Great Southern Railways, and in 1925, the hotel was renamed the Great Southern Hotel.[6][7]
On the 1 January 1945, CIÉ was established to replace Great Southern Railways. CIÉ would inherit the assets of GSR, including the Great Southern Hotel.[8]
In 1961, the Great Southern Hotels chain was founded.[9] ÓIE (Óstlanna Iompair Éireann), a wholly owned subsidiary of CIÉ was responsible for the operation of the Great Southern Hotels chain, however in 1990, CIÉ sold Great Southern Hotels to Aer Rianta.[8]
In 2006, Great Southern Hotels was dissolved, and the Galway Great Southern Hotel was bought by the Monogram Hotels Group, who renamed it to Hotel Meyrick. This name came from General Meyrick, after whom Eyre Square was briefly named.[7] However, General Meyrick was involved in suppressing the 1798 rebellion and is associated with British rule in Ireland.[10][11]
In 2018, The g Hotel and Hotel Meyrick were acquired by the Irish owned Choice Hotel Group.[12] In 2019, the hotel was renamed The Hardiman, after the Galway-based historian and scholar, James Hardiman.[13]
Notable guests
[edit]- In July 1857, Prince Louis Napoleon visited the hotel.[7]
- In 1903, King Edward VII ate lunch at the hotel while visiting Galway.[14]
- On 23 October 1933, Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Lindbergh stayed at the hotel.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Kenny, Tom (25 November 2021). "The Railway Hotel". Galway Advertiser. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Railway Hotel, 14-15 Eyre Square, TOWNPARKS(ST. NICHOLAS' PARISH), Galway, GALWAY". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Dictionary of Irish Architects". www.dia.ie. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ "GREAT SOUTHERN HOTEL, GALWAY – Moore Group". www.mooregroup.ie. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB). "electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB)". www.irishstatutebook.ie. Archived from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ Maxwell, Nick (4 November 2024). "MERGER OF IRISH RAILWAYS INTO THE GREAT SOUTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY". History Ireland. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Hotel History Galway | The Hardiman Hotel Galway". The Hardiman Hotel. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- 1 2 "History of CIÉ". www.cie.ie. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ "Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 15 May 1968". www.oireachtas.ie. Houses of the Oireachtas. 15 May 1968. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ "THE LEGACY OF MEYRICK – Moore Group". mooregroup.ie. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ "Annals :: 1700-1800". Shrule. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ "Choice Hotel Group acquires Meyrick and G Hotel in Galway". RTÉ News. Dublin: Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Advertiser, Galway (5 December 2019). "Introducing The Hardiman — iconic hotel announces rebrand". Galway Advertiser. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ Andrews, Kernan (12 May 2011). "When the king came to town". Galway Advertiser. Retrieved 5 July 2026.