‘The staff are really great’ – Cavanman ‘very happy’ to complete deal with Slieve Russell

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Halfway through the Anglo-Celtic interview with Tony Brady, the Melbourne-based Redhills native who completed the purchase of the Slieve Russell Hotel in Ballyconnell yesterday (Friday), a guest, just after leaving, interrupts apologetically.

“Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to say good luck, I don’t know you, but I gathered what you did. Congratulations,” she interjects in a southern accent.

Such comments have been common in recent days as the story of Cavanman’s success Down Under buying one of the country’s leading hotel properties has become public knowledge.

Brady himself, who takes, in his own words, a “hands-on” role in his businesses, isn’t one to court publicity, but was happy to explain the background to this latest expansion.

“I was in Ireland in July this year and played golf at Slieve Russell and heard it was for sale, so I made an inquiry with Dublin agent Paul Collins of CBRE and we started the process. It’s a great property, I knew it for many years coming here to play golf, I stayed here from time to time,” he said.

“Everything went smoothly. The process took a few weeks and then we reached an agreement last Friday (October 18).

The property’s location and its obvious qualities were what attracted him, he said.

“It’s a beautiful property, it’s local. A great golf course and a great hotel. The local angle was part of the decision and the quality of the asset. You can see it in the gardens, it is immaculate. I stayed here in 2023 for a week and have played golf here on and off since it opened. Or tried to play golf!

“The golf course has PGA National status so there’s potential to expand that, it’s the only golf course in Ireland that has that PGA National status, a lot of people don’t know about it. It’s just there’s one per country and only eight or nine in the world, so the golf course is exceptional.”

The Slieve Russell has been bought by Brady Hotels Ireland. Tony Brady migrated to Australia in 1973, starting as a mason before moving into contracting; The Brady Group’s main business is apartment development, but the company also moved into the hotel space about a decade ago.

“The growth of the Brady Group in Australia was a gradual process, it did not snowball as such. I was lucky to have a lot of good people working for me,” he said.

“We are not new to hotels, we have a lot of experience in hotel management at this stage.

“The challenge in the hotel game is that you have to provide excellent service every day, all year round, and keep guests happy. It is ongoing, maintenance, maintenance of standards of cleanliness and presentation, etc. The Slieve Russell has been very well run, is wonderfully kept and the staff are the best I have come across.

“We have been managing hotels for 10 years and now have five in Melbourne, four Brady hotels and one IHG hotel under a new brand name called voco.

“The Slieve Russell is a different type of property, it’s a hotel and country club and all our other hotels are in the city of Melbourne.

“There are great staff in Slieve Russell, there are hundreds of local jobs, full-time and part-time, so it’s an important part of the community.

Brady settled in Cavan with a small team of staff from Australia in recent weeks and after the work (compliance check, liabilities, financial control, accounts, advance bookings and all) was completed, the deal was signed on Friday. last

Brady is particularly pleased to have acquired a business in his home county, where he has been a frequent visitor.

“That was a huge part of the decision. It’s going to be run by a local team here. Tony Walker is the managing director and Orla Murphy is the HR director and they’re both doing an excellent job. The staff are really great. slow, I’m not just saying that, we’re very happy with this aspect.

“The same goes for Brendan Hegarty, Gordon Smyth and all the golf course staff.”

Brady confirmed that the Slieve Russell name will remain. He has several family members involved in the Brady Group in Australia and believes the company has stayed close to its roots. His brother Ollie, a former Cavan footballer and All-Star, will be a director of the Irish company.

“My brothers Martin, Oliver and Raymond still live in Redhills and I come back when I can anyway,” he said, “I hope to spend more time in Cavan in the future.”