Show summary Hide summary
A well-known four-star boutique hotel in Dublin 4 with links to the 1916 Rising and James Joyce’s Ulysses has been placed on the market with a guide price of more than €12 million. The move ends almost three decades of ownership by hotelier Terry Sweeney.
Sale details and setting
The property, marketed by Lisney on Mr Sweeney’s instructions, is the Schoolhouse Hotel on Northumberland Road. It occupies a prominent red‑brick building overlooking the Grand Canal at Mount Street Bridge and operates as a 31-bedroom hotel with an established restaurant and bar.
Fatal house blaze in County Cork claims two lives
Red carpet glamour as film stars turn out for the Irish Cinema Ball
Its central position — between Ballsbridge, Grand Canal Dock and the city centre — brings a mix of corporate and leisure guests. Nearby employers, government departments, diplomatic missions and sporting venues such as the Aviva Stadium and the RDS contribute to the hotel’s steady trade.
Heritage and architecture
The building began life in 1859 as St Stephen’s Parochial School, designed by Victorian architects Deane and Woodward. It served as a school for roughly a century before being converted in 1997 and opening as a hotel in 1998.
Beyond its architectural pedigree, the site carries cultural significance. It has associations with the Battle of Mount Street Bridge during the 1916 Easter Rising and is referenced in James Joyce’s Ulysses, giving it a distinct place in Dublin’s historical narrative.
Visitors enter through the original schoolhouse, where exposed brick, large arched windows, timber detailing and high ceilings retain much of the Victorian character and now house the reception, lounge bar and function spaces.
Facilities, size and recent works
The hotel extends to about 1,439 square metres on a 0.69-acre site. Alongside 31 guestrooms, the grounds include mature landscaped gardens, generous outdoor dining terraces and roughly 24 parking spaces.
Food and beverage outlets — a restaurant, gastrobar and garden terraces — form a central part of the business, attracting both local diners and hotel guests.
A comprehensive refurbishment completed across 2020 and 2021 upgraded guestrooms, bathrooms and public areas, including the bar and restaurant, and left the property positioned as an established four-star hospitality business.
