Sudden death of respected Fermanagh hotelier
Rodney Watson MBE, the co-owner of the Killyhevlin Hotel near Enniskillen, has died suddenly at his home.
Mr. Watson, who was in his fifties, was a well-known and respected figure in the local hospitality trade. Raised into the hotel business in Armagh, his mother, Pearl, was the manager of the Drumsill House Hotel. His father, Archie, bought the Drumsill in 1970 and the family continued to run the venue very successfully until 1976 when they took on the Killyhevlin and re-located to Enniskillen.
A former president of the NI Hotel Federation and a past chair of the NI Lakeland Hotels Association, Mr. Watson sat on the board of Fermanagh Lakelands Trust and was involved with the steering group for the Destination Fermanagh initiative – a 10-year tourist development strategy for the region that was launched in 2006.
There have been many tributes to Mr. Watson following his death. Tourism Minister, Arlene Foster, described him as “a leader in the hotel industry in Fermanagh and Northern Ireland” and Pubs of Ulster chief, Colin Neill, said that he was “a true character in NI hospitality” that would be sorely missed.
Licensed and Catering News interviewed Mr. Watson at the end of last year during which he expressed very frank opinions about local tourism and the prospects for growth in the Fermanagh area:
“The real problem for us is that there are not enough out-of-state visitors coming into Northern Ireland,” he told this magazine. “We’re not attractive enough as a destination because of the economic situation and the ridiculous level of out VAT at 20 per cent against our competitor’s nine per cent in the Republic.”
Originally owned by Raymond B. McCartney, the Killyhevlin was a successful 30-bedroom hotel when the Watsons bought it in the mid-70s. Rodney was aged 21 at the time, having studied at the former catering college in Portrush before taking a position at Drumsill House as bar manager and working his way up.
During their time at the Killyhevlin, the Watson’s have instigated three major expansions and, in 2005, they spent £4m to add leisure facilities and 30 additional bedrooms to the venue.
Mr. Watson’s funeral service will be held at noon on Wednesday, September 10, at Ballycassidy Funeral Home in Enniskillen.
