‘When it went sale agreed, I cried’: UCC student hoping to transform former hotel

A UCC music graduate is undertaking a restoration project to breathe new life into a vacant hotel on the Aran Islands and run it as a cultural centre, celebrating Irish language, arts and heritage.

Award-winning harpist Úna Ní Fhlannagáin moved to Inis Meáin in 2020 after her professional life was ‘blown apart’ by the pandemic.

“I came in September, 2020, for a week and didn’t leave! I quickly realised that the silence here and people here were so nourishing to me that I wanted to stay,” she said.

She noticed the hotel, closed since March, 2013, in her very first week.

“It’s right in the centre of the island so it’s quite visually prominent and immediately I thought to myself, what a sin to have it just rotting there. If nothing else it was terrible for morale so straight away I started getting interested in it and thinking how could it be changed. I was drawn to its potential which was limitless,” she remembers.

In fact, Úna became so drawn to the building, that she even began to dream about it.

“I’m not at all ‘woo woo’ or normally someone who gets information from my dreams but I had multiple dreams about the hotel and so I started to think seriously how I could make this happen.”

And make it happen she did, despite having no business experience.

Having secured the financial backing of investors, her second bid on the building, which came with an asking price of €450,000, was accepted and she went sale agreed in 2025.

“It felt unreal that I pulled it off. I remember I cried tears of disbelief and gratitude,” she said.

Then reality kicked in and now she describes herself as a “little work pony on a treadmill and getting jobs done”, with work taking place “left, right and centre” to get water and electricity connected and a heating system installed.

The new cultural centre is scheduled to open in 2027 and will offer a programme of courses in Irish language, music, traditional arts, heritage, and more.

“Inis Meáin is a cultural jewel, untouched by time – there are customs and rituals here that you won’t find anywhere else,” said the Galway native. “We will offer transformative educational experiences, where students meaningfully engage with the people and culture of the island.”

The vision is to run immersive week long-courses in language, art (music, song); skills (knitting, crochet, baking, etc), craft (stone wall, basket weaving) and more.

And because of her professional connections, Úna already has confirmation from 22 top performers in Irish music that they’ll teach Irish traditional music and singing. Not a bad start!

“My ultimate dream is to restore the building to a functioning state, and to run courses that will attract an influx of culturally engaged people here, which in an ideal world will provide employment directly to the island and provide economic stimulus to the island.

“My dream is that the people who come will love it and want to stay, and we will essentially combat a depopulation problem that all islands face. Back in the 1980s, there were 300 living here, now there’s 170. We are doing OK, there’s both a primary and a secondary school, but you always need to be thinking into the future with islands.”

Úna admits her friends told her she was mad to take on such a project, and she says it’s definitely not a financially motivated one, and is something she’s taking on with her eyes wide open.

“This is all about trying to energise and activate a local community who are valuable personally and nationally,” she said.

To mark the beginning of this ambitious project, she’s looking for help in naming what she hopes will be a legacy building.

“In the spirit of collaboration and community, we’re inviting name suggestions. We are especially interested in names referencing cultural connection, education, heritage, environment, and Inis Meáin’s unique identity,” she added.

The winning entry will receive a €1,000 voucher for use at the cultural centre when it opens.

This restoration represents a milestone for Inis Meáin, revitalising a disused building while creating a dynamic space for learning, exchange, and the celebration of Irish culture in one of Ireland’s strongest Gaeltacht communities.

• To enter the competition and for further details on the project, visit www.buildingofirishculture.com.