An Óige

An Óige
Irish Youth Hostel Association
Established7 May 1931
FoundersThekla Beere, Marion Tweedy, C.E. (Terry) Trench
Founded atDublin, Ireland
TypeYouth organization
Legal statusNon-profit
FocusTo encourage youths to appreciate the Irish countryside through hostelling.
HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
Location
  • 61 Mountjoy Street (closed as an An Óige hostel in 2019)
Coordinates53°21′22″N 6°16′05″W / 53.356°N 6.268°W / 53.356; -6.268
Region served
Republic of Ireland
AffiliationsHostelling International
Websiteanoige.ie

An Óige (Irish: [ənˠ ˈoːɟə]; meaning "Youth"), or the Irish Youth Hostel Association (IYHA), is a non-profit organisation providing youth hostel accommodation across the Republic of Ireland. An Óige is a member of Hostelling International.

Background

An Óige's headquarters hostel, on Mountjoy Street in Dublin, closed in 2019. As of August 2022 it is a private hostel

An Óige was founded on 7 May 1931 by an organising committee which included Thekla Beere, Shane Bodkin, and Chalmers (Terry) Trench.[1][2] The group had been inspired by the success of the Jugendherbergen in Germany.[2] An Óige's first youth hostel was opened at Lough Dan, near Roundwood, in County Wicklow.[2] An Óige was formed as a membership-based organisation and at its peak had some 15,000 members and ran 55 hostels.[2] It is now a member of Hostelling International.

Around the year 1990, the organisation bought the former convent school and orphanage complex at 60-61 Mountjoy Street, built circa 1865, and remodelled it for use as a hostel.[3] This became used as the main headquarters for An Óige.

As of 2017, the organisation operated 24 youth hostels in the Republic of Ireland.[4] In May 2019, An Óige closed the Dublin International Youth Hostel, which was then its main/headquarters facility and reportedly accounted for 60% of its revenue at the time.[5] By late 2019, An Óige was running 18 hostels, with franchise rights to a further 10.[5] During 2020, all hostels remained closed, as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.[6]

In October 2019 the site of the former Headquarters on Mountjoy Street was put on the market at a guide price of €5 million.[7] As of August 2022, the site is now in use as a private hostel named Leevin Hostel Mountjoy.[8]

Objectives

An Óige, the Irish Youth Hostel Association, has a number of charitable aims. These include to support a "love and appreciation of the countryside" by providing "simple hostel accommodation for [people] whilst on their travels", to foster an appreciation of Irish culture and heritage, to co-operate with Irish organisations which seek to preserve the countryside and walking routes, and to foster associations with similar organisations in other countries.[9]

The organisation is a registered charity in Ireland.[10]

References

  1. ^ Trench, Terry (1981). Fifty Years Young : The Story of An Óige. Dublin: An Óige, Irish Youth Hostel Association. ISBN 9780950029290. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Obituary - Pioneer of the youth hostel movement and researcher in antiquarian field". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 26 March 2005. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  3. ^ "An Óige Dublin International Hostel, 60-61 Mountjoy Street, Wellington Street Upper, Dublin 7, DUBLIN". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  4. ^ "An Óige Hostel Guide". anoige.ie. An Óige. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  5. ^ a b "An Óige faces financial crisis". hospitalityenews.ie. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  6. ^ "COVID-19 Update". anoige.ie. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020.
  7. ^ Quinlan, Ronald (2019-10-02). "Dublin youth hostel primed for residential development at €5m". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  8. ^ "Who we are". leevinhostel.com.
  9. ^ "Over 80 Years Young And Counting…". An Óige. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  10. ^ "Register of Charities - An Óige". charitiesregulator.ie. Charities Regulator. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
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