All in a Bay’s work: How a hotel group is hoping to make a 145-acre site a centrepiece of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands

The Hodson Bay Group has bought a swathe of land on the shores of Lough Ree and two islands to build an eco-tourism venture which, it hopes, will tap into holidaymakers’ increasing demand for outdoor activities

Johnny O’Sullivan, director of operations at the Hodson Bay group, which has bought 145 acres of woodland and two islands. Picture: Barry Cronin

“It’s 145 acres of meadow and native Irish woodland. And it’s unique in the sense in that it’s completely untouched, it’s unspoiled.”

Johnny O’Sullivan, the director of operations at the Hodson Bay Group, didn’t have to work hard to explain the beauty of Yewpoint. His hotelier family, owners of the nearby Hodson Bay Hotel, have recently acquired the land and are set to turn it into a visitor attraction.

Lough Ree, one of the three ...