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The Candlelight Inn
Dunmore East is a small fishing village on
the south-east coast of Ireland, 16kms from
the city of Waterford.
It sits on the western side of the Waterford
Harbour Estuary, 4.8kms from Hook Head in
Wexford.
Dunmore East, Co. Waterford,
Ireland
The Candlelight Inn was built as a private house and at the time prior to it's
conversion to a hotel it was owned by the well known tenor from Waterford,
Willie Watt.
It was bought in late 1967 by Michael O'Dwyer, who had previously owned
successful hotels and restaurants in Dublin. Michael had moved to his
homeland of Kilkenny a few years previously, where he had planned to open a
hotel or restaurant, but after a serious car accident he decided to move to new
pastures.
Michael converted the house to a hotel by splitting the large bedrooms in two
and building on a bar and restaurant at the front. The following year he would
build a heated swimming pool in front, which was the only one in Dunmore and
would be open to the public.
The Candlelight Inn opened for business in 1968 and was managed by Michael
and Patricia O'Dwyer until they sold it to Charlie and Antoinette Boland in 1976.
Places
Services
Events
Advertising winter weekend breaks
in the Irish Times, early 1970s . The
ad refers to a state visit at the time
by Charles De Gaulle, who
presumably stayed at Aras an
Uachtarain where he was
surrounded by guards and trees.
Michael O'Dwyer's sense of humour
extended to advertising! Also note
the price, six guineas for the
weekend!
