History of The Club House Hotel
Built As A Beacon Of Hospitality
When it comes to hotels in Kilkenny, we’re proud to be the oldest. In 1797, Sir John Power created a clubhouse to provide accommodation and sustenance to members of the Kilkenny Foxhunters Club who were too exhausted (or not exhausted enough) to go home. When the new Cork Road opened in 1817, the property was one of the first ‘inns’ in Ireland to hold the new title of ‘hotel’.
Gaining A Reputation
The new Hibernian Hotel and Foxhunting Club was established when Messrs. Walsh & Rice added the adjoining premises. Their reputation for quality soon spread. In 1834, Scottish journalist Henry Inglis wrote of the hotel being “one of the very best I have ever found in any country, London not excepted. The wine is better quality than in England and an excellent whiskey punch was to be had for 5 pence.”
Telling Tall Tails
Mr. Simon Morris became proprietor of the hotel around 1859. He would often tell of the great feat performed by 60 year old Cork man Jack Courtanay. For a wager of £50, he rode his famous White Lion from the Club House Stables, up the hotel stairs and into the club room (now known as Georgian Dining Room). There, he nonchalantly jumped a fire screen, before riding back to the stables.
Adding Architectural Elegance
In 1888, Mr. Thomas F. Murphy purchased the hotel. He quickly set about completely renovating the premises using only the highest-skilled local craftsmen. The hotel continued to flourish until his death in 1922. His widow Mary then ran the hotel, before Mrs. Florence Lee later took over.
The Brennan Legacy Begins
On Monday the 25th of June 1977, Jim Brennan took a few days off work from his job as manger in the Ocean Hotel in Dunmore East, to visit his family in his native Kilkenny. Just four days later, completely captivated by Ireland’s medieval city, he bought its most famous hotel on an impulse at auction. Immediately, he became curator of a building intertwined with the very history of Kilkenny itself.
A Renovation For The Next Generation
In 2025, Jim’s son Ian took ownership of this iconic property. Together with his wife Joanna, they undertook a huge €2.5million renovation. One that would preserve the authenticity of this famous landmark but also ensure a new generation of guests get to enjoy a unique balance of 18th-century style and 21st-century sophistication.
