Former owner protests as €34m hotel put up for sale ‘on the cheap
Philip Kirk and his family were joined by more than 50 friends and supporters at a protest yesterday outside the Park Inn hotel in Louth, which is on the market for €1.45m.
The 84-bedroom hotel opened in 2004 but closed in Oct 2010. The hotel and golf course were put up for sale through agents Savills and REA Gunne under the instruction of receivers KPMG. The property is a two-minute drive from Dundalk town centre and has easy access to the M1 motorway.
Mr Kirk also secured planning permission to build a sports arena and houses on the site.
Yesterday Mr Kirk, his sisters, and their mother were joined by other locals angry at the role of the banks in the recession.
Mr Kirk said they were prompted to take action when they saw the asking price was so low. He said he believes a deposit has been paid by a prospective buyer whose identity has not been made public.
He said there is €34m owed on the property to ACC Bank and an asking price of €1.45m was hard for the family to take.
Amongst those supporting were members of the ‘Dundalk Says No’ group, including Eugene Dooley, who protested against his eviction from his Dundalk home last year.
Protestor Jimmy Fox said: “There are small houses in Dublin being sold for more than what the hotel is sold for.”
He said the banks should be responsible to the Government and the Government should be listening to the electorate.
“It has to be people power to change things,” said Mr Fox. “The Irish people need to wake up and make a stand. This will not be my last protest.”
Another protestor, Kevin Shields, said: “I am here to support the Kirks. I feel they are very hard done-by. They put a lot of effort in to build the hotel up and employ a lot of people. I don’t think what has happened is fair.”
