An 18th century inn, which became a popular hotel in Boyle, Co Roscommon before it fell into dereliction, has reopened as an enterprise, community and cultural centre.
'The Royal' began life as a coaching inn in the town and was on the main road between Sligo and Dublin.
Built in 1782 by innkeeper John Freeman, it was one of Ireland's oldest coaching inns and became a focal point of life in the town until it closed in 2012 after 230 years in operation.
Over those years, the hotel hosted famous guests like WB Yeats, Maud Gonne and Hollywood actress Maureen O'Sullivan, who was from the area.
Local groups also held meetings there and families celebrated weddings and other occasions.
For couples such as Maura and John Murphy, the hotel held many happy memories.
They got married at the hotel in 1967 and celebrated other family weddings and retirements there.
Mrs Murphy said they used to go to the hotel most Saturday nights to listen to music as "it was a great place".
Following its closure, however, the building became an eyesore in the town as it fell into disrepair.
Roscommon County Council bought it in 2017 and set about realising its potential to develop tourism and economic opportunities for the town.
This afternoon, The Royal was officially reopened as An Ríoga. It is part of a wider regeneration plan for Boyle set out in "Boyle 2040".
The framework includes "a vision for how the area which had suffered the greatest hollowing out and loss of population around the Boyle River could be developed".
Chairperson of Boyle Town Team Ciarán Sheerin said the town is turning towards the river rather than having its back to it.
The redevelopment of The Royal is a first step towards that, he said, with landscaping, walks and open space adding greatly to it.
An Ríoga is an enterprise space with two floors ready to welcome business and an exhibition space on the ground floor.
The first exhibition to go on display is by local artists as part of the annual Boyle Arts Festival which will be opened tomorrow night by actor Brendan Gleeson.
The regeneration project for the town links An Ríoga with key tourism and cultural assets such as King House and Boyle Abbey through the riverside promenade and a new civic space with covered bandstand.
The council's Chief Executive Shane Tiernan said local authorities are in the business of bringing town centres back to life through regeneration projects like this, working with communities to re-energise their areas and creating more jobs.
Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys officially opened An Ríoga today as a key element in the overall Boyle Town Regeneration Project which is costing €3.4 million.
