Hotel & Restaurant Times talks to Michael Masterson, General Manager about the timeless soul of The Keadeen Hotel
A change in ownership and a €1.2m renovation, yet the soul of The Keadeen Hotel remains the same: authentic, attentive to guests, and central to Co Kildare’s rising profile.
Naas Racecourse might be one of Ireland’s premiere horseracing tracks, but this August the venue celebrates the best of County Kildare’s food and drink. Keadeen Hotel is among local businesses showcasing at the Taste of Kildare event, which upwards of 10,000 visitors are set to attend. Anyone popping into the Keadeen tent can treat themselves to the hotel’s famous afternoon tea and homemade scones (made from a traditional recipe in the hotel’s kitchen). “Our pastry chef Philippe is working around the clock in the run up to Taste,” Michael Masterson, GM of Keadeen, tells Hotel & Restaurant Times. The hotel is also presenting a spritz bar featuring herbs (such as lavender) grown in the property’s garden.
“We are presenting our products in a takeaway style because visitors at Taste walk about sampling as much as they can,” says the GM. “I’ve been to a couple of different Taste events around the country. Taste of Dublin is the big one but the effort that’s put into Taste of Kildare is amazing. It’s the centrepiece of the summer in Kildare. At Taste, we get to showcase the ethos and the journey we’ve been on since 1970… and where we’re going in the future.” Taste is about much more for Michael and his colleagues than self-publicity. It’s a collective, collaborative effort with local restaurants, brewers, food producers, caterers, racecourses, and shops, to bring business to the region. “We all come together. Last year I got to explore the festival and look at what small local businesses are producing in Kildare. The quality is inspiring.”
At the heart of the county for over half a century
Keadeen has been at the heart of the county for over half a century. It was opened in Newbridge in 1970 by Joe and Rose O’Loughlin in Joe’s home county of Kildare. Over the decades it grew into a four-star destination, hosting weddings, gatherings, and the occasional celebrity guest. For 54 of those 56 years, Rose was at the helm – and her three adult children joined her in stewarding the property – until 2024, which marked the end of an era when Rose retired.
The hotel was then sold to Matthew O’Callaghan, a Dundalk native with five hotels in his group Calusade Hotels. These include The Gateway and The Fairways hotels in Dundalk, the Kilmore in Cavan, and Crossroads Inn & Suites in St. John’s, Canada. Michael Masterson, previously general manager at the Crowne Plaza in Blanchardstown & Cliff at Lyons in Celbridge, joined as GM in September 2024. On the page, this might look like a major shake-up at the Newbridge property. But in practice, Keadeen’s legacy and ethos are alive and well within the O’Callaghan family brand.
“Keadeen has been family-run for its whole existence,” explains Michael. “We’re delighted to have an owner take over from Rose who has that same ethos. Matthew cares about maintaining our level of culture, which is probably unusual in Ireland these days. Hotels are usually bought up by larger groups or private equity funds. Matthew visits his hotels twice a month. He talks to everybody. We have generations of families working here. John Hughes, the head chef who started here with Rose, his grandson is now working here in Conference and Banqueting. Once the staff understood Matthew’s vision, it was very easy for them.”
A step into the future with a €3m renovation
The hotel, while maintaining its legacy, has taken a step into the future with a €3m renovation project that includes 69 refreshed guest rooms, redesigned banqueting and meeting suites, new garden spaces, courtyards, and leisure facilities. “We renovated all the bedrooms and made improvements around Wi-Fi and other utilities: kettles, hairdryers, towels, beds.
We’ve upgraded amenities: towels, beds. Considering we’re here so long, it’s a fine balance. You don’t want to disrespect what came before. You don’t want to stay in the past either.”
The hotel has undergone a major sustainability upgrade, transitioning from natural gas boilers to heat pumps. “Our kilowatt hours will be greatly reduced,” remarks Michael, noting the project is a case study for Fáilte Ireland’s Climate Action Programme. “It’s not the easiest project in a building of this age. Some parts of the building are over 100 years old. But we’re adapting the system as we go. Our owner is hoping to install similar systems in his other properties.” The hotelier hopes to eventually expand into solar and move off the electricity grid.
Keadeen House’s revival is well-timed. Effectively a rural hotel, it is surrounded by a hive of activity that increases by the month. Kildare is a vital corridor for Dublin – the N7 is 500 metres away from its front door – and some of the country’s biggest multinationals are in the region (Pfizer, Diageo, Intel) as well as huge home-grown businesses like Kerry Group.
Few places in Ireland can rival its rich equestrian heritage.
Few places in Ireland have as much equestrian history as the county or the hotel. Before Joe and Rose O’Loughlin bought the house, it was home to P.J. “Darkie” Prendergast, a legendary horse trainer who helped put Irish racing on the global map. Prendergast even trained a horse that was owned by crooner Bing Crosby (who came to stay at the property). Keadeen’s racing heritage is visible in the names of rooms like The Curragh Room and The Meadow Court Suite, and in the memorabilia and photographic tributes to racing legends that adorn the walls. The stables, once used to train champion horses, are still part of the building. The barn used for feeding horses is here too. Visitors are close to Curragh Racecourse, home to Ireland’s five most important flat races (known as the Classic). Horse Racing Ireland, the governing body of horse racing on the island of Ireland, is 200 metres from the front gate.
The hotel shares the challenges facing Irish hospitality.
But Keadeen Hotel faces the same challenges that other Irish hospitality businesses are experiencing. The hotel is known for its food provenance. As Michael points out, “food is very expensive at the moment. I’m not willing to sacrifice the quality of the product because of the price. I’ve tried my best not to pass it on to customers. The 9% reduced VAT rate has been a help.” The hotel sources local wherever possible: poultry from Feighcullen Farm, beverages from JJ Mahon & Sons (in the community for almost 80 years). “Because we’re a hotel and we have a couple of different revenue streams, we’ll soak up price increases as best we can. We’ve managed to control our costs as best we can but it’s not easy.”
Energy costs are a worry – and galling in light of the ESB’s pre-tax profits of €636 million for 2025. “I find that incredible, considering the cost of energy. It’s crippling for anyone who doesn’t have a number of different revenue streams,” says Michael. Staffing is a challenge too. “It’s difficult to find experienced staff like traditional barmen. Those people have gone out of the industry since COVID. However, in Newbridge we are seeing a cohort of younger people taking an interest in the industry as a career path.” The ages of employees at Keadeen ranges from 16 to 71, he explains: “A cohort of staff has been here for 30-plus years and are mentoring and training kids coming in.”
Michael Masterson welcomes support introduced by Fáilte Ireland and other groups who are driving investment in the county. The GM cites Horse County, a curated portfolio of equine experiences across Kildare and Tipperary funded by Fáilte Ireland, Horse Racing Ireland and Kildare and Tipperary County Councils. He has availed of Fáilte Ireland’s cost management clinics for GMs and sales managers. “They provide expert advice and one-on-one sessions that give you a different perspective on your own hotel. Unless you have a good network of GMs around you, it’s hard to get that.”
Into Kildare, the county’s official tourist board
Into Kildare, the county’s official tourist board, has “gone from strength to strength” in promoting the area to domestic and international markets. Michael cites the example of Brigid, Spirit of Kildare Festival, which brings together music, art, storytelling, wellness, and family events across the county, in January/February, in honour of Ireland’s only female patron saint.
“In the past, St. Brigid wasn’t really celebrated at all. Now she has a full week of activities. Into Kildare has put a lot of effort into making sure that event is on a national stage now. The more we invest in events like this, the more Kildare becomes a destination for people to come to. Government is finally starting to realise we can invest in projects like County Kildare and see a return on that investment. There is no ceiling on this.”
Brought to you by Into Kildare with support from Kildare County Council, Taste of Kildare takes place on 15 and 16 August at Naas Racecourse. Tickets are priced from €15, while children under 10 go free. To book tickets, visit www.tasteofkildare.ie.
