Apartment proposal for Dunderry Lodge
The once Michelin-rated Dunderry Lodge restaurant looks set to remain closed for good if plans to change the premises into apartments get the go-ahead.
In its heyday the restaurant, located at the end of Eskeroon Lane attracted customers from far and wide and it was difficult to get a booking as its reputation grew.
It closed in recent years and looks set to permanently close as a restaurant with plans recently submitted to Meath County Council to redevelop the site. Ian McCluskey is seeking permission for a change of use from existing restaurant building to two one-bedroom studio type holiday homes and one one-bedroom holiday home.
Permission is also being sought for five one-bedroom holiday homes on the existing site. The development will retain use of existing sewerage treatment system, private well and commercial entrance.
It marks the end of an era for the once hugely popular restaurant, which was opened in a converted cowshed back in the late seventies by the late Nick and Catherine Healy.
Catherine (nee Strong) was originally from Kells and was one of the country's most distinguished chefs, while her husband Nick had a background in the wine business and also worked in restaurants.
In a 1982 interview with the Meath Chronicle, Catherine Healy said that when Nick lost his full time job, it was the little something to give them a push in the right direction. His restaurant job in Navan allowed him to get to know the local business, and they set about identifying and acquiring a suitable premises.
They settled on the Darcy farm, Gaurie House, in Dunderry, which was on the market, and set about converting the muck and rubble from a derelict cow shed into the structure they desired for a top class eatery. The construction project took 18 months, and they opened in November 1977.
Just over two years after opening, Dunderry Lodge was one of just 24 restaurants in the country to receive distinctions in the first Bord Failte Awards of Excellence, in January 1980 and went on to achieve many awards over the years. They achieved the Red M, a demi or half Michelin Star from 1981-85 and attained the full Michelin Star from 1986-'89, for four years running, an enormous achievement. However, when Catherine Healy became ill, the decision was taken to sell the restaurant business which they had built up and they sold it in 1990. Catherine passed away in early 1993, aged 44, and Nick passed away in 2012.