by inishindie on Fri Feb 01, 2008 9:27 am
Thanks to John Cutliffe for the info from Buncrana.com
The Swilly Hotel was a big part of Buncrana for many decades. I am not sure if I am remembering this correctly but I even think it was used as a military headquarters during the second world war though that may not have been why it was built.
It was a lovely hotel inside. The vintage car was one of the nice features to us kids. The lovely staircase that led to the rooms was also a really nice touch.
I worked there as a young teen, helping in the kitchen and in the dining room that looked out over Lough Swilly. My mother kept my first ever pay packer from there, a little brown envelope with my name and the amount (I think about 7 pounds for the week). I think that was in her purse til the day she died. I seem to remember she kept most of the money too though.
I also had one of the first big crushes of my life there with a girl visiting from England. She wasn't staying there but her family were staying across the road and they would come to the hotel for lunch. Eventually her dad came to live in Buncrana and became one of the great characters and popular people in Buncrana.
Later the hotel was bought by the McGlinchy family of the Golden Grill fame in Letterkenny. They opened a night club and venue in there. Sometimes there would be good concerts though. I saw Clannad there and Paul Brady. And my own band the Pyros did some memorable gigs in the Swilly.
It was sad to see it close as a gathering place. The Flanagan family took it over and turned it into a furniture warehouse.
It would be so sad to see it pulled down. It is steeped in history and memories for so many in town
