Mayo’s finest boutique hotel

Belleek Castle was built in 1831 on the site of an earlier 14th-century tower house. It was commissioned by Sir Arthur Francis Knox-Gore who lived here with his wife Sarah and his 9 children until his death in 1873. It was then used for a period as a hospital & a military barracks before being abandoned. The Mayo County Council even considered taking the roof of the building to avoid paying rates! Fortunately, Marshall Doran, a merchant navy officer and an avid collector of antiquities acquired the property in 1961. He restored the building and opened it as a hotel in 1970. Marshall, being quite a craftsman, did a lot of the work himself, assisted by John Mullen who supervised the restoration expertly. Today, Beleek is an impressive boutique hotel that is managed by Marshall’s son Paul Doran and Ms. Maya Nikolaeva.