Work is set to begin on the redevelopment of the old Shannon Oaks hotel in Portumna after the hotel was badly damaged by fire in 2011.

The redevelopment is set to begin in the next few months, meaning the hotel could be potentially open for business by the end of the summer. The redevelopment is part of a €2 million plus investment by the hotel’s new owners, the Comer Group. The development also includes several holiday homes and chalets.

The Shannon Oaks hotel suffered extensive damage after a fire in 2011, a devastating loss for the town of Portumna, located on the banks of Lodge Derg and heavily dependent on tourism. The redevelopment would result in a major multi-million euro boost to the South East Galway town and is expected to have the capacity to create an additional 500 jobs in the town.

The Comers, originally from Glenamaddy, own some 40 hotels across the world and eight in Ireland including Nox in Co.Galway, the Glashaus Hotel in Tallaght, Dublin and Palmerstown House in Kildare. Luke Comer told The Connacht Tribune that he intends to restore the hotel to its former glory. “We have purchased the property and we want to turn it into a new state of the art hotel in Portumna where we feel has loads of potential. We have put the project out to tender and obviously, we would prefer to secure a local builder. “It is in a prime location and we would hope that the new hotel would be up and running by the end of the summer. I understand that there are two local contractors involved in the process.”