One of Donegal’s most historic coastal hotels is on the market.
The Fort Royal Hotel overlooking the beach at Rathmullan has an asking price of €1.6M.
The 19-bed country house hotel was built in 1805 by Charles Rae. He retired to the seaside town after being wounded while serving in the British Navy with Admiral Lord Duncan. It was during his time in the Navy that he visited the Caribbean Island of Martinique, and he named the house after the capital, as it was then known, Fort Royal.
Fort Royal, Rathmullan, Co Donegal. Photo: Savills Ireland
The house was then purchased in 1878 by General George Montgomery of the Indian Army. Different generations of the Montgomery Family (relations of the Field Marshall) owned Fort Royal up to 1940, when due to the Second World War amongst other reasons, the house was left empty for seven years.
It was in 1947 that Dr Bill Johnstone, a G.P from County Derry and his wife Connie saw Fort Royal and decided to to buy it as a holiday home. The building was in a poor state then and after one summer in the house, he decided to turn it into a hotel. Fort Royal began trading as a hotel in 1948, with various managers in charge.
The property changed hands in 2013 when it was sold at auction.
Fort Royal, Rathmullan, Co Donegal. Photo: Savills Ireland
Fort Royal, Rathmullan, Co Donegal. Photo: Savills Ireland
The hotel is now being sold by Savills Ireland as a rare property with potential for hospitality, nursing home, residential etc. subject to attaining the relevant planning permissions.
The 10,118 sq ft three-story hotel is described as being “in good order and with very little capital expenditure, could become income producing quite quickly”.
The ground floor features a conference room/events space, restaurant, lounge, offices, toilets, kitchen, and various reception and storage rooms. The first floor has 9 bedroom suites, 8 with ensuites, plus storage and linen rooms. On the second floor, there are 5 bedrooms, 4 with ensuites, including a family suite.
Within the 5.9 acres is a characterful two-storey building and mature gardens filled with mature trees, enclosed private gardens, well-kept lawns and access to the beach making this site a ‘truly rare find’.
Three independent residential units with multifunction accommodation at Fort Royal, Rathmullan, Co Donegal. Photo: Savills Ireland