Derelict Tipperary hotel will be bought by council under compulsory purchase order
Tipperary County Council has been granted approval by An Coimisiún Pleanála to compulsorily purchase the derelict former Kearney’s Castle Hotel in Cashel, which has been vacant for a decade.
The hotel on Cashel’s Main Street closed in December 2016 and has lain empty since.
The property includes a 15th century tower house, and a three-storey building next to it. The building fell into disrepair after the hotel’s closure, and was added to the derelict sites register in 2024.
Last October, Tipperary County Council served a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on the property in order to take it out of dereliction.
One of the owners, Margaret Cummins, lodged a submission with An Coimisiún Pleanála in which she said that no offer had been made to her by the council, while a relative of the owners, Michael Cummins, said that the property was the subject of ongoing litigation with AIB.
AIB themselves submitted an objection to the property being compulsorily purchased, saying that the former hotel is the subject of two separate legal battles - one in Clonmel Circuit Court, and one in the High Court.
The bank also said they are trying to take over the property following the default on the mortgage from the borrowers.
Despite those objections, the planning inspector concluded that the public interest in addressing the building’s derelict condition outweighed concerns raised by the owners and lender.
Kearney's Castle on Cashel's Main Street has been out of use for a decade.
In their assessment, the inspector said the building is an “iconic” feature of Cashel’s streetscape.
“It is a landmark building adjacent to the number of key tourist related buildings in the town centre,” they said.
“The contiguous building on the Main Street within the site is in poor condition and in a state of neglect and disrepair.
“I would be seriously concerned for the future of the castle building if it is not maintained on a regular basis given its age and current structural condition,” they added.
The inspector said that the property “detracts...to a material degree from the amenity, character or appearance of land in the neighbourhood because of the neglected, unsightly or objectionable condition” of the property, a key distinction required for a CPO.
The inspector recommended that the council compulsorily purchase the property to take it out of dereliction and bring it back into active use.
It is not yet known what the council plan to do with the former hotel, but Cashel-based councillor Liam Browne previously said that “the need is urgent,” to bring it back to life.