American film star Lacey Chabert spent the last three weeks at The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis Co. Clare.
Chabert, of Mean Girls fame, stayed incognito at the hotel while filming her new movie, Christmas at Castle Hart, according to a spokesperson for the hotel. The hallmark production, which co-stars Stuart Townsend, was being shot around Clare and Limerick. The hotel spokesperson also revealed that the actress stayed so long at the Old Ground because she thought it was ‘so fetch’.
Built in the early part of the 18th Century as a private dwelling, the manor house has been a hotel since 1895 and re-opened under the ownership of Allen Flynn and the Flynn Hotel Collection in September 1995. They have undertaken 5 major refurbishments and extensions, bringing it from 11 bedrooms to 108, and it now operates as a 4 star hotel.
The venue is steeped in history, full of character, and has a real ‘home away from home’ feel, which Lacey loved. There’s an original fireplace in the reception area, an extensive art collection hung on the walls, and a private library to snuggle up with a book. The Old Ground has a long tradition and connection to the people of County Clare. Indeed, it played its part in the Republic’s tumultuous beginnings and the now Town Hall Bistro once incorporated a jail.