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Burren Mount Hotel, Salthill

TheCosmicFrog

Does anybody know anything about this place? I always remember it being there back when we used to collect my older brother from school in St. Enda's. I always get an eerie feeling every time I pass the place.
Has anyone ever been inside it?
This has been a fact-finding mission for me for gawd-knows how long!

Mod note:
I've been approached by friends of the owners.
The hotel may or may not reopen at some point.
The owners DO NOT want anyone knocking asking for a tour or a look inside.
Feel free to discuss the hotel, memories of it and Salthilll etc but the hotel is to be considered a private residence from this point on and I ask you to not disturb the people living there.

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TheCosmicFrog

Oh, tell us more about the place!

(...if you can remember)

The Hilltop

"Francie's 21 Club" was the nightclub that ran in the Burren Mount in the 80's. Francie Donahue was the owner, now deceased, I believe. He reputedly shared a floor with his wife and mistress. It was actually a surprisingly fine establishment in its day. I recall attending an Arts Festival Club night there once. I was utterly shocked at the good quality of the interior. Gabby Joyce was Francie's sidekick (they ran a bookies at Ballybrit each year). He lived in the flat at the side and was the handyman, gaffer. Many might remember the bould Gabby as the bouncer at the Castle, then later the Warwick. It's not that long ago that the Burren Mount once boasted being the only fully ensuite hotel in Galway. A huge eyesore, but worth big money. Surprised the Corpo doesn't do something about it. I have a feeling that a local developer fely he just walk on them and they dug their heels in. History!

doolox

Referencing the last posters name reminds me of the Hilltop pub at the top of Dalysfort rd. Is it still there?
I think the owners name was Mulholland and they played in the bar. Piano and stuff.

fatleomessi

nope..

The Hilltop

Ah, The legendary Hilltop is long gone, now a block of apartments. Once the finest venue for a great night in Galway. The Mulhollands - John, Eamon, Billy and Gerry - were great entertainers. It all came to a sad end when Gerry Twiggs Higgins took over and started a short-lived nightclub. John Mulholland (bookie and ex-mayor) is still going strong and both Eamon and Gerry are around town. Gerry is one of the most gifted musicians Galway has produced. The best entertainer of the lot was Billy (also played in the Salthill Hotel). Billy, sadly, suffered a stroke and is in a nursing home in Salthill, still a relatively young man. Great memories from the old Hilltop.

Steyr

On another Salthill note i miss Bogarts and Liquid!

ronnie3585

Don't forget CJ's.

Didn't Bogarts go gay for a while?

The Hilltop

From The Beach, to Whispers, out to Sapphires, back to The Lenaboy, out again to The Oz. But, of course, the thread here on Salthill Nightclubs of Old covers this admirably. Good to see Gabby Joyce getting some recognition, too. Gabby was tough, but was always a decent skin if he got to know you ... standing in the rain, week after week.

[Deleted User]

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Don't forget CJ's.

Didn't Bogarts go gay for a while?

CJ's was a serious meat market.

Ah, the memories....

stevendcarroll

Just saw this thread! my mother used to work there and I know the guy who own's it! i'm not fully sure what the situation is with it. there is something stopping him from selling it untill the ex-owners wife dies! About the guy who is going in the backdoor, he is probibly a guy called banty or something and he was the caretaker who still lives there now. not 100% about all this but i'll try and find out!

EDIT

Cosmic, just saw there that it was you that was askin!

[Deleted User]

stevendcarroll wrote: »

Just saw this thread! my mother used to work there and I know the guy who own's it! i'm not fully sure what the situation is with it. there is something stopping him from selling it untill the ex-owners wife dies! About the guy who is going in the backdoor, he is probibly a guy called banty or something and he was the caretaker who still lives there now. not 100% about all this but i'll try and find out!

EDIT

Cosmic, just saw there that it was you that was askin!

You know the guy ???:eek::eek:

gmkgreaney

cant believe this place is being lived in:eek: its like an albanian tourist resort
is this the same place that is being called the bournemouth by some people in the old salthill nightclubs thread???

axiom32

The Hilltop wrote: »

Good to see Gabby Joyce getting some recognition, too. Gabby was tough, but was always a decent skin if he got to know you ... standing in the rain, week after week.

nah got to say this guy is a prick and a dodgy one at that, even at his time of life he is still on the hustle...have personal experience so won't be broadcasting it

Kazooie

axiom32 wrote: »

nah got to say this guy is a prick and a dodgy one at that, even at his time of life he is still on the hustle...have personal experience so won't be broadcasting it

Ah go on. Don't be a tease. :pac:

axiom32

no chance its the Batmans job to weed out the injustice in this town:D

gmkgreaney

he'b be a good age now id say apparently had no trouble spreading the seed, has offspring all over the shop:D

TheCosmicFrog

stevendcarroll wrote: »

Just saw this thread! my mother used to work there and I know the guy who own's it! i'm not fully sure what the situation is with it. there is something stopping him from selling it untill the ex-owners wife dies! About the guy who is going in the backdoor, he is probibly a guy called banty or something and he was the caretaker who still lives there now. not 100% about all this but i'll try and find out!

EDIT

Cosmic, just saw there that it was you that was askin!

Find anything else about it Steve?

doolox

Talking about run-down properties and the likes, is the woolly jumper shop still there on Shop Street.
I think the lady who owns it has a pack of mangy dogs who run wild around the shop and there is an indescribable smell of dogs feces and urine if one dares to open the front door into the shop.
From what I can see no one goes into the shop and there are no signs of a level of trade one would need to have a shop on Shop St.
I know of one jewellers shop which went for €5 or 6 milliion back ten years ago so your talking ast least €2 million even now. Why isn't it sold?
Can the city council not do something about it.
I am sure the neighbouring shops are not impressed with the state of this building.
BTW Galway is not unique in the derelict buildings game, Capel st and Abbey st in Dublin have some extraordinary examples which should be doing useful work as a shop or housing but are idle which is a sin given the high cost of housing here.
The corpo should impose a tax on these derelict buildings and take them over when the bill gets large enough like they do in the States.

gmkgreaney

doolox wrote: »

Talking about run-down properties and the likes, is the woolly jumper shop still there on Shop Street.
I think the lady who owns it has a pack of mangy dogs who run wild around the shop and there is an indescribable smell of dogs feces and urine if one dares to open the front door into the shop.
From what I can see no one goes into the shop and there are no signs of a level of trade one would need to have a shop on Shop St.
I know of one jewellers shop which went for €5 or 6 milliion back ten years ago so your talking ast least €2 million even now. Why isn't it sold?
Can the city council not do something about it.
I am sure the neighbouring shops are not impressed with the state of this building.
BTW Galway is not unique in the derelict buildings game, Capel st and Abbey st in Dublin have some extraordinary examples which should be doing useful work as a shop or housing but are idle which is a sin given the high cost of housing here.
The corpo should impose a tax on these derelict buildings and take them over when the bill gets large enough like they do in the States.

that was una taffe think she died 3 yrs ago

GerardKeating

doolox wrote: »

The corpo should impose a tax on these derelict buildings and take them over when the bill gets large enough like they do in the States.

With respect to Taffes on Shop street, they would have a problem with such a tax, since planning regs currently prevent any developement of the site, and this is partly due to inaction by the same corpo...

gmkgreaney

quick update on this story, i think the rumours about gabby joyce living/working in there are true i seen him take the right turn down by the side of the burren mount bailey point wer the car is 2 weeks ago,the reason i knw what he looks like is beacause id asked my mother before about him and another day she spotted him comning out of o connors bar and pointed him out to me, now unless he lives in bailey point:eek: i think theres some truth to the story of him living in the burren mount

oddballtours

Anyone found a way in to view the Burrenmount yet? A lot of people on this thread have mentioned wanting to go see it, but no-one seems to have actually been (in recent years anyway.) Would love to do a wee tour of the place. Any ideas on who I could contact and how? Reminds me of Fawlty Towers for some reason. A communist era style retro kitsch haunt with plenty of history...Anyone know when it was actually built?

TheCosmicFrog

oddballtours wrote: »

Anyone found a way in to view the Burrenmount yet? A lot of people on this thread have mentioned wanting to go see it, but no-one seems to have actually been (in recent years anyway.) Would love to do a wee tour of the place. Any ideas on who I could contact and how? Reminds me of Fawlty Towers for some reason. A communist era style retro kitsch haunt with plenty of history...Anyone know when it was actually built?

Want to do an "odd ball tour" of the place, eh? I'm sure the owner would love that :rolleyes:

But seriously, I haven't heard of anyone actually going in. Let me know if you do. I'm dying of curiosity.

JohnCleary

TheCosmicFrog wrote: »

Want to do an "odd ball tour" of the place, eh? I'm sure the owner would love that :rolleyes:

But seriously, I haven't heard of anyone actually going in. Let me know if you do. I'm dying of curiosity.

Me too.

I'd happily pay a fiver to go for a look. If we got 10 of us that'd be 50euro to someone just for showing us around the place!

TheCosmicFrog

JohnCleary wrote: »

Me too.

I'd happily pay a fiver to go for a look. If we got 10 of us that'd be 50euro to someone just for showing us around the place!

Agreed, would definitely pay to see the place!

romeo yankee

I found this thread last night, am amazed as the hotel has always fascinated me, i grew up near it and knew the son of the owner, might try bump into him and organise a few photos!! then a tour:D I've always thought that visiting a totally "retro" 70's place would be a good business venture... no tech stuff:eek: like mobile phones.. wi fi etc what a blast:D

Hixxy

I hear the nightclub attached to it is still as was before it got closed down.

TheCosmicFrog

Hixxy wrote: »

I hear the nightclub attached to it is still as was before it got closed down.

I'd love to see that!

bonzodog2

I'd be interested in a peek inside too. Walked past there tonight and yer man's stranded car is till there, but the plastic sheeting is looking somewhat (very) tattered, and the rear drivers side window seems to have suffered some damage. I don't know why he didn't just get a lift-em-up type of tow-away-truck to put it on the road for him .

oddballtours

TheCosmicFrog wrote: »

Want to do an "odd ball tour" of the place, eh? I'm sure the owner would love that :rolleyes:

But seriously, I haven't heard of anyone actually going in. Let me know if you do. I'm dying of curiosity.

Ha, ha. Yes TheCosmicFrog - oddball indeed. Why do I have a feeling this username is going to work against me in discussion forums?!