The room where the GAA began
On 1 November 1884, a small group led by Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin met in the billiards room of Hayes’ Hotel and founded the Gaelic Athletic Association. It grew into the largest amateur sporting body in the world, and for that reason this three-storey building on Liberty Square in Thurles is a place of pilgrimage for anyone who follows the games. The same room saw the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association founded on 18 July 1974.
The billiards room survives as a meeting room overlooking the square. It is worth knowing before you arrive that this is the whole of the historic experience: there is no museum and no tour, just a working hotel that happens to be where it all started. If the GAA story is what you have come for, pair the visit with Lár na Páirce, the association’s museum a short walk away.
A hotel with several names
The building has traded since the 18th century, first as ‘The Star and Garter’, then as ‘Boyton’s Hotel’ after William Boyton bought it in the 1830s, and finally as Hayes’ Commercial and Family Hotel when Miss Eliza J. Hayes took it on in the 1870s. It went into receivership in 2013 and was bought the following October by Jack Halley for €650,000. It is now graded a three-star hotel and remains the oldest established place to stay in the town.
Rooms, food and nightlife
Rooms keep some period detail alongside the usual en-suite and Wi-Fi. Downstairs, Cusack’s Bar does breakfast, lunch and dinner – the kitchen describes its cooking as locally inspired dishes, and the bar runs to handcrafted cocktails. Two nightclubs on the ground floor hold up to 1,000 people between them, so a quiet weekend night is not guaranteed; guests also get free use of a nearby leisure centre.
Match days are when the place comes into its own. Thurles is home to Semple Stadium, and when a big hurling or football fixture fills it, the town turns out and the hotel becomes a natural meeting point.
Getting there and around
Hayes’ Hotel sits in the middle of Thurles on Liberty Square, which makes it an easy base for County Tipperary. Thurles railway station is about a ten-minute walk, with trains to Dublin, Cork and Limerick, and the M8 runs close by for drivers. There is a private car park to the rear, though spaces are limited.
Nearby
- Semple Stadium – one of the country’s great GAA grounds, a short walk from the hotel.
- Rock of Cashel – the round tower, cathedral and chapel on the rock, about 20km south.
- Cahir Castle – a well-preserved medieval fortress on the River Suir, further south again.
- The Source Arts Centre – theatre, gallery and café in the centre of Thurles.
Practical information
- Address: Liberty Square, Thurles, Co. Tipperary
- Phone: +353 504 22122
- Website: hayeshotel.ie
- Accessibility: The ground-floor lounge and bar are wheelchair accessible, with a lift to the upper-floor rooms.
- Booking: Book ahead during the GAA championship season and on match weekends, when the town fills up.