Our Story

The hotel was built in the mid 18th Century as the town house for the Marquis of Headfort, the Headfort family resided in the house whilst Headfort House was built on the country estate.It began trading as a hotel some time later under Mr. Joseph Lowry. It changed hands several times and many stories have been recounted of significant visitors, negociations held and social events held over the course of time at the Headfort.The Hotel which exists today still features elements of the original hotel which was owned by Betty Farrell until the early 1970’s.

In 1972 the Hotel was purchased by Tom and Peggy Duff upon their return from London.   Between this time and until the early 1990’s the new proprietors embarked upon an extensive refurbishment of the premises.  They also extended the property to include the ballroom (now referred to as The Kenlis Suite), the disco (originally called Gatsbys, renamed Flix and currently called The Vibe), together with adding a number of additional bedrooms.

In 1992 Vincent their son joined the management team having previously spent time studying hotel management and working in hotels in the UK.  He oversaw the renovation of the ground floor and later between the mid to late 1990’s he oversaw the development of The Kenlis Suite and the Kelltic Bar which further extended the Hotel’s offering to guests and customers alike.

Olivia Duff their daughter joined the management team full time in 2005 and she oversaw the development of a number of new Hotel projects including the opening of the Award Winning Vanilla Pod Restaurant, the addition of a number of new bedrooms, the spa rooms and the development of guest off-street parking facilities which was completed in 2007.

In 2010 the Headfort Arms won the converted National Gold Medal Award for Best 3 Star Hotel in Ireland and in the same year Olivia was awarded ‘Hospitality Manager of the Year 2010’. The Vanilla Pod Restaurant manages to be consistently listed in the highly regarded Bridgestone and Georgina Campbell Guides to Ireland making it a ‘must visit’ for all discerning travelers around Ireland.

The hotel continues to change face in look and improvement but still firmly holds onto the sense of tradition and personal hospitality that has seen it thrive through even the toughest economic times ensuring that the Headfort remains a landmark hotel in the North-East of Ireland