Night Of Nostalgia

Date Published: 28-Aug-2008

THE remaining 45 staff of Hayden’s Hotel – the Galway institution which closed its doors in July – held a farewell party recently in Gullanes Hotel and many happy memories were recalled by the young and older members of staff who were in attendance.

The hotel had served the community for over 200 years, and many of the final staff had worked there all their working lives.

The O’Carroll family had bought the hotel in 1945 and it was later sold to The Lynch Group in 1999. On the night Councillors Hugh Dolan, Michael Mullins and Johnny Walsh were thanked for taking the time to call to the hotel to wish the staff well, and to Councillor Carmel Greally who had spoken to a lot of the staff personally. Thanks were also extended to the many loyal customers and friends of the hotel, some of whom were very upset that the hotel was closing.

The majority of the staff attending the party had been employees of the O’ Carroll family, who unfortunately could not attend due to a recent family bereavement. The staff expressed that they had many happy years working for them and they were thanked most sincerely on the night for the contribution they had made to the town down through the years.

Thanks were also extended to Michael Lynch, and the Lynch Hotel Group, who owned the hotel for the last nine years. The staff were dealt with honourably and fairly and the Lynch family were wished all the best with their other hotels in the group.

A very special word of thanks was extended to Thomas and Caroline Gullane and to Catherine and the staff of Gullanes Hotel, who…