Over the weekend the management at The Slieve Russell informed members of golf club that the sale of the resort has been completed.
A Melbourne-based construction company owned by Cavan’s Tony Brady is the new owner of the resort.
The Ballyconnell hotel was put on the market in April on behalf of the liquidators of the Irish Bank Resolution Company and Brady Group have completed the purchase for €30m.
The property – once a jewel in the crown of the Quinn family’s hospitality empire first opened in 1990, the hotel has 224 bedrooms and leisure facilities, and is situated on 300 acres of land. It includes the Championship golf course, a nine-hole par three course and driving range.
The new owner, Tony Brady emigrated to Australia from Cavan as a bricklayer in 1973 and eventually set up his own company. Brady confirmed the sale had happened in an interview with the Anglo Celt
“I was in Ireland in July this year and I played golf at the Slieve Russell and I heard it was up for sale so I made enquires with the agent in Dublin, Paul Collins at CBRE, and we started the process. It’s a great property, I knew it for many years coming here playing golf, I stayed here occasionally,” he said.
“It all ran smoothly. The process took a few weeks and then we secured a deal last Friday (October 18).”
The location of the property and its obvious qualities were what attracted him, he said.
“It’s a beautiful property, it’s local. A great golf course and a great hotel. The local angle was part of the decision and the quality of the asset. You can see it in the gardens, it is immaculate. I stayed here in 2023 for a week and played golf here on and off since it opened. Or tried to play golf!
“The golf course has got PGA National status so there is potential to expand that, it is the only golf course in Ireland which has that PGA National status, a lot of people don’t know that. There is only one per country and only eight or nine of those in the world so the golf course is outstanding.”
Brady based himself in Cavan with a small team of staff from Australia in recent weeks and after the work (“checking compliance, liabilities, financial checking, the accounts, forward bookings and all that stuff”) was completed, the deal was signed on Friday last.
Brady is particularly happy to have acquired a business in his home county, to where he has been a frequent visitor.
“That was a very big part of the decision. It will be run by a local team here. Tony Walker is the General Manager and Orla Murphy is the HR Manager and both are doing an excellent job. The staff are really excellent, I’m not just saying that, we are very happy with that aspect.
“The same goes for Brendan Hegarty, Gordon Smyth and all the staff at the golf course.”
Brady confirmed that the Slieve Russell name will be retained. He has a number of family members involved in Brady Group in Australia and feels the company has stayed close to its roots. His brother Ollie, former Cavan footballer and All-Star, will be a director of the Irish company.
“My brothers Martin, Oliver and Raymond still live in Redhills and I come back when I can anyway,” he said, “I hope now to spend more time in Cavan going forward.”
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