Hazel Allen of Ballymaloe House Hotel dies

Hotelier Hazel Allen, who ran Ballymaloe House as a hotel and restaurant for more than 40 years, has died.

Hazel, daughter-in-law of famous Irish chef Myrtle Allen, was also a founding member of the Blue Book guide to Irish country houses.

Allen was at the forefront of major changes in the Irish hospitality industry and arrived in Ballymaloe in 1969, after gaining valuable hospitality experience in Switzerland and Canada.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner in 2019, he said: “It was November and there was no work. But Ballymaloe appeared on a BBC program called The Holiday Program and were suddenly inundated with letters from people wanting to stay. “Ballymaloe was a farm and suddenly we had to start a hotel.”

She found herself running the country house hotel and restaurant and married Myrtle’s son Rory in 1974, the year Blue Book was founded.

A statement issued on Friday afternoon said: “Ballymaloe House and the entire Allen family are sad to announce the passing of Hazel Allen, née Lalor, who died peacefully on May 3, in the care of Marymount Hospital, surrounded by her loved ones. dear ones, after a long illness.”

Hazel Allen was born on 16 October 1950 in Cullohill, Co Laois.

Funeral details have yet to be confirmed.