Limerick Voice reporters Alan White and Anna Powell investigated the events surrounding the closure of Racket Hall in Roscrea and its lasting impact on the town. What began as a local protest quickly became a national controversy, highlighting deep tensions over government policy, community needs, and media representation. Through interviews with residents, business owners, and public officials, this investigative piece examines how Roscrea continues to struggle with the fallout of losing its only functioning hotel.
How a small town’s only hotel closure sparked protests, economic downturn, and a fight for answers.
In January 2024, Roscrea’s only functioning hotel, Racket Hall was closed to house over 160 International Protection Applicants. Despite the harsh weather conditions and unpleasant media coverage, locals protested outside the hotel in the freezing cold for 10 weeks. This protest became known nationally as ‘Roscrea has Enough’. After a number of weeks, their protests dissolved bit by bit, as locals lost all hope of being listened to by society and government officials.
“Nothing has changed” noted Roscrea local, James Gleeson who was heavily involved in the protests outside Racket Hall. “The protests stopped, and fear is there. There’s a group of people, still, policing the streets at night, because they want to keep an eye on things,” admitted James.
A town without a hotel: The consequences of Racket Hall’s closure
Over a year later, not much has changed for the town of Roscrea. Locals are still upset; Racket Hall is still closed to the public; and Roscrea is still without a community hotel, which they were promised amid their protest by government officials.
The Damer Court Hotel on Castle Street, formerly known as Grant’s Hotel, has been closed since 2013. However, Grants Hotel had 24 bedrooms, just over half the number of rooms in Racket Hall, with 40 rooms. This building was proposed as a location for Roscrea’s community hotel.
Despite promises from the government, there has been little support for Roscrea. The idea for a community hotel has made minimal progress. “Almost a year on, it’s still in its infancy,” the Roscrea Community Action Group stated.
Michelle, a local resident spoke about the viability of Grants Hotel. “That hotel is completely rundown on the inside. It needs serious renovations. They’re promising that but it’s not gonna happen.”
The Government’s decision to close Racket Hall and convert it into an International Protection accommodation was announced on January 11, 2024, just 24 hours before its closure.
Records accessed under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that Racket Hall owner ‘Swiftcastle Limited,’ received seven fixed rate payments of €291,200 in the first half of this year. This is a total of €2.03 million.
Promises and doubts: The uncertain future of Roscrea’s community hotel
Dan Harty of Sinn Fein spoke about the feasibility of Racket Hall before its closure for the housing of IPA’s, “it probably worked out better for him [hotelier] financially than trying to operate a hotel.
“Anyone can actually buy it. Someone could come in and make it into apartments or whatever…but I suppose that’s not how the people look at it” Harty said regarding Grants Hotel.
Roscrea’s local Councillor, Michael Smith discussed the feasibility of Grants Hotel. As explained by Michael Smith, Tipperary County Council has been awarded €150,000 to carry out a feasibility study on the hotel, which is due back in the second week of January.
Cllr Michael Smith was not concerned about the for sale sign on Grants Hotel. “Bearing in mind this building has been vacant for 13 years, there has been a sale on and off for 13 years and that’s been known, there’s no real change in that, nobody came forward with any firm proposal until I brought this.
Surprisingly, when Michael Smith was first approached for comment, about Roscrea Has Enough, he seemed completely unaware of the local topic, asking us to explain it to him. It is worth noting that Michael spoke to the media about the protests regularly in January.
However, when approached a second time, Michael was more willing to speak at Grants Hotel which was heavily intertwined with the Roscrea Has Enough protests. “I have been working on this for a number of months, and will be making every effort to ensure that that building will be used for the community” he added.
When pressed for a definitive answer on the likelihood of Roscrea’s community hotel coming to fruition, Smith responded “That is my aim”
James Gleeson, self-proclaimed leader of the protests at Racket Hall is unconvinced by the plans for the community hotel. “This is one of Michael Smith’s ideas, which he promised he had the deal done and 10 months on, there’s nothing happening.”
James suspects that the former Grants Hotel property will be purchased and converted into another IPA centre. He strongly supported these protests, claiming Roscrea has taken in “such an influx of people”.
As reported by Tipperary Live, Roscrea is the highest populated town of IPA residents with 321 people as of February 2024.
Media and public perception: How the Roscrea protests were framed
Dan Harty criticised how the people of Roscrea were treated by the media. “They were kind of being made scapegoats…they were very disappointed in how that was handled and how the people of Roscrea were portrayed at that time.
James Gleeson echoed locals’ outrage on such media coverage. “The backlash was massive, the news made us out to be animals and racist”
“I swore I’d never talk to the media again. The media really f***ed us over personally.”
“Nobody portrayed the story that we were trying to tell” stressed James, with RTE and Virgin Media used as examples.
According to locals of Roscrea, the closure of Racket Hall had an impact on Roscrea, as many locals feared.
“We anticipated that the loss of our only functioning hotel would decimate that industry, leaving the town with only nine beds in a B&B” stated the Roscrea Community Action Group.
The economic toll: How Racket Hall’s closure is impacting local businesses
Marie Warren, 65, owner of ‘Slí Dála B&B’ has been negatively impacted by the closure of Racket Hall. “It’s had a massive impact on my business,” she said.
“If you come to Roscrea, I am the only person that can put you in a bed. It’s only nine beds and I’m retirement age” Marie stated.
Roscrea Community Action Group, a local group set up to advocate for the needs of Roscrea added, “Local businesses have lost so much income, every social event has been taken out of the town.”
Alison Hynes Lee, owner of ‘Lily O’Brien’s’ in the centre of Roscrea spoke about the economic impacts of Racket Hall’s closure. “Well, from a business point of view. We’re down maybe 10 to 12 thousand euros, that’s going to be felt across the board.
“What we need is a hotel where people can have their wedding, where people can have their meals, and where people can host events” commented Alison.
Without immediate and targeted action, the community’s economic and social vitality remains at risk” the Action Group concluded.