Surprise buyers swoop on airport hotels

When the Dublin Airport Authority announced last week that it had sold seven of the eight Great Southern hotels, which it had inherited from Aer Rianta, the biggest surprise was the identities of the new owners of the chain’s three airport hotels.

A consortium comprising Ben, Sean, Liam and Colm Walsh, of Poplar Linens in Westport, Co Mayo; Frank and Ronan McArdle of McArdle Meats in Dundalk, Co Louth; and Scottish accountant Alan ...