Hazel Allen of Ballymaloe House Hotel dies

HOTELIER Hazel Allen, who ran Ballymaloe House as a hotel and restaurant for over 40 years, has died.

Daughter-in-law of famous Irish chef Myrtle Allen, Hazel was also a founding member of the Blue Book guide to Irish country houses.

Allen was at the forefront of major change in the Irish hotel industry and arrived in Ballymaloe in 1969, after gaining valuable hotel experience in Switzerland and Canada.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner in 2019 she said: “It was November, and there were no jobs. But Ballymaloe was featured on a BBC show called The Holiday Programme and suddenly they were inundated with letters from people who wanted to stay. Ballymaloe was a farm and suddenly we had to get a hotel up and running.” She found herself running the country house hotel and restaurant and went on to marry Myrtle’s son Rory in 1974 — the year Blue Book was founded.

A statement issued on Friday evening said: "Ballymaloe House and the extended Allen family are sad to announce the passing of Hazel Allen, née Lalor, who died peacefully on 3rd May, in the care of Marymount Hospital, surrounded by loved ones, following a long illness."

Hazel Allen was born on October 16, 1950, in Cullohill, Co Laois.

Funeral details have yet to be confirmed.