Extension work at big Offaly hotel begins soon

CONSTRUCTION work is scheduled to begin on Monday at the County Arms Hotel in Birr.

Seven bedroom suites will be added to the 70-bedroom facility and four of them will have private balconies.

Offaly County Council gave the extension on the southern elevation of the hotel the go-ahead in March of this year.

Permission for a two-storey development had been sought by Canbe Ltd, the company which operates the hotel and which is owned by Eoin Garry.

According to the architect's report with the planning application, the ground floor of the extension is designed for staff use including a canteen, toilets and changing rooms.

There will also be store rooms and a laundry room on the ground floor extension which are “required due to the growing popularity of the hotel”, the report says.

The seven new bedroom suites on the first floor will “satisfy the demand for more accommodation within the hotel” and the first floor of the extension “will blend seamlessly to the interior of the existing building”.

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“The key objective of The County Arms Hotel extension is to expand the accommodation capacity and emphasise the appeal of the hotel to visitors and tourists, therefore promoting and encouraging tourism, growth and development in Birr town. The County Arms Hotel development will increase the variety of accommodation options available in this area of Birr,” the report said.

A commencement notice indicated work will start on Monday, October 6.

The Country Arms Hotel was built as Moor Park House, a large country house in about 1830 and the architect said the extension will replace storage space and service rooms destroyed in a fire.

According to its accounts for the year ending October 31 last, Canbe Ltd made a profit of €1,895,718 after depreciation and taxation, up from €1,398,050 in 2023.

Turnover was €10,235,030, an increase on the previous year's figure of €9,729,501.

The company carried forward a retained profit of €12,253,558.

In the year up to October 31, 2024 Canbe Ltd had 143 employees and paid €3.325 million in wages, salaries plus over €340,000 social welfare costs.