Follow your dreams. These are three words of encouragement Kay Randles gave everyone. S

he was right too because she saw her own dreams come true in 1965, when the Dromhall Hotel first opened its doors.

Embarking on her dream and her desire to work in and one day own a hotel.

Kay left her home place in Kilworth, Co Cork and went to work in the Victoria Hotel in Cork City.

She was the youngest of five children and came from a farming background but she always dreamed of having her own guesthouse.

During her time at the Victoria Hotel she worked her way up to the position of assistant manager.

One wonders if, on later taking up a position at the Muckross Hotel, Killarney, Kay Randles could ever have imagined that, a few years later, she would be married, be a mother and have opened her own hotel?

While working at the Muckross Hotel she met Neil Randles, who was from Kenmare and who came to Killarney looking to start his own garage as his father and uncle had done before him in Kenmare.

It was not long before there were wedding bells though Kay still harboured the idea of having her own guesthouse.

She spotted an old laundry shop – where Randles Garage and the Centra Shop is now situated on Muckross Road – was for sale and encouraged Neil to buy the site for the garage and their home.

Mrs O Connor, a neighbour next door, asked Kay to keep four guests one night as her guesthouse was full. Kay decided she would do so without telling Neil.

The next morning, the story goes, there was 10 shilling note on the table from the guests and Neil thought it was the handiest money ever made.

The four people and the 10 shilling note set Kay’s dream in motion.

In 1964 the sale of a bungalow by the Kenmare Estate, which was across the road from the garage – on the site of the now Dromhall Hotel – created the opportunity for Kay’s dream to become a reality.

She and Neil bought the bungalow and opened an 18-bedroom hotel on the site in 1965.

Little did Neil realise that, within one week, the 10 shillings would give rise to a 10,000 pound investment.

From there the hotel grew rapidly as did the other businesses that Kay and Neil created – Randles Car Hire; C&R Frozen Foods, CRL Oil, Randles Bros Killarney and Kenmare and later on Randles Hotel, Killarney and Randles Bros Tralee.

In 1969 the bedrooms increased to 35, more rooms were added in 1977 and a new reception, lounge and dining room were also built. The bar was another addition.

In 1987, Neil died and Kay was left to carry on the Dromhall Hotel and all the other businesses they owned, as well as rearing their six children, who ranged in ages from 24 to 13. Three of them, at that stage, were involved in the family business.

In 1992 The Rectory house next door to the Dromhall Hotel was purchased and the Randles Court Hotel was built. It continued to grow over the years and today is the four-star luxury Randles Hotel.

In 1999 it was decided by the family to level the Dromhall Hotel to the ground and build a completely new hotel.

In June 2000 the Dromhall was re-opened as the new 72-bedroom, conference and banqueting hotel that it is today, along with Kayne’s Bar and Bistro, which is attached to the hotel.

The name Kayne’s comes from the perfect partnership of Kay and Neil Randles.

In 2014/2015 the Dromhall Hotel celebrated 50 years since the purchase of the property on the Muckross Road.

Up until 2020, Kay Randles, who accumulated numerous hospitality awards and was considered one of the most hardworking and tenacious figures in the Irish hospitality sector, continued to have an active interest in the business.

In July, 2024, Kay Randles passed away leaving a legacy that will ensure her hospitality excellence will continue to be at the foundation of the family does.

In 2025, Dromhall Hotel celebrates 60 years in business and Kay’s legacy continues to endure.