Opening of north Louth hotel under new ownership gives village a welcome boost

The reopening of the Grand Central Hotel in Omeath under new ownership is being hailed as a major boost for the village.
The hotel is owned by cousins Selim Bepary and Jewel Akber who were delighted to invite locals in on Thursday to see the refurbishments that they have carried out since buying it earlier this year.

“We have a new coffee shop in the hotel and have also upgraded the rooms, so we have ten bedrooms ready to go,” says Selim.

Located close to the promenade with spectacular views across Carlingford Lough to the Mourne Mountains, the Grand Central Hotel has been at the centre of the community in Omeath for nearly a hundred years.

The cousins have decided to change the name from the Granvue Hotel back to its original name and the Grand Central Hotel, will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year.

The original hotel opened in 1925 in a wooden building beside the train station on the old Newry to Greenore line to cater for visitors travelling by rail to Omeath.

The village was a popular location for tourists, particularly those from Northern Ireland, the hotel was rebuilt as an impressive stone built property in 1939/1940. Even after the closure of the railway, Omeath remained popular with visitors and the hotel was further upgraded in the 1990s. It had been renamed the Granvue Hotel by the late Laurence and Josephine Brennan who ran it for over 40 years.

Now Selim is looking forward to continuing the tradition of the hotel being at the heart of the community.

Originally from Bangladesh, Selim has lived in Ireland for over twenty years.