Meath Live reporter Paul Murphy
The owner of the Glenside Hotel in East Meath saved lives today when a devastating fire badly damaged the 17-bedroom premises. The hotel was 15 minutes away from opening its carvery today when the fire alarm went off. The owner spotted smoke and shouted at everyone to leave the premises. The fire is believed to have spread in seconds and damaged large parts of the building, including the function room and kitchen.
The hotel was evacuated quickly and there were no injuries. Meath Fire Service was called out shortly after midday and crews from Drogheda, balbriggan and Navan went to the scene just outside Drogheda. In a post on Facebook the management said the hotel would be closed until further notice and all bookings would be contacted as quickly as possible. It is reported that a funeral party had been booked in to the hotel in the early afternoon.
Owners of other hotels in the region including the Marcy and Scholars have been in contact with the Glenside owners offering help and solidarity in the middle of the crisis. Valerie Sherlock of the Marcy said that she had been in contact with the Glenside owners throughout the day.
The Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council Cllr Wayne Harding said he was very sorry to hear about the fire. The Glenside was an outstanding hospitality venue for so many people in the region. As a person in the hospitality business himself, he understood how resilient people in that industry could be and he hoped the family who own the Glenside would have the strength to emerge from this crisis for them.
