Mary Kenny: My family felt like relics of a dying Ireland when a hotel bought our home but I've found room for it in my heart
Celebrations are being held to mark the Sandymount Hotel's 70th anniversary
Anyone familiar with Dublin's Aviva Stadium – we once just called it Lansdowne Road – will have noticed the prominence of the nearby Sandymount Hotel. This comprises a terrace of fine Victorian houses occupying virtually all one side of the adjacent Herbert Road.
The hotel complex, whose 70th anniversary will be marked today, forms part of what used to be my family home. The takeover seemed like a Chekhov play: we were remnants of an older Ireland, stuck in a past that was fading, while a new, entrepreneurial spirit was rising, embodied in the hotel's expanding agenda of buying each residential home on the road.
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'The shops and businesses on Church Street are still open for business and unaffected by this work.' Meanwhile, Councillor McCusker, who represents the Eccles ward, shared his enthusiasm for the project, in particular for its focus on the local community. In a statement, he spoke of his "excitement" for the times ahead in materialising their vision for a brighter, more dynamic Eccles. He said 'Through our purchase of the shopping centre, we were able to put the future of the town centre in the hands of the council and the community. 'It has enabled us to begin this important and long-overdue programme of work, to deliver the vision we have developed with the community. 'The demolition work will take some time, but there are exciting times ahead for Eccles as we work to bring this vision to life.' The work will see the historic Christ Church transformed into a new Maritime Museum, with an expected opening later this year. 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