The hotels contemporary wing & 19th century ice house 
Distinct angular contemporary façade 
Victorian house pitched roof 
Reception off-white walls & brilliant blue seating 
Conserved ice house cavity 
Mock Victorian fashion parlour
Bar/ restaurant - transparent glazed structure 
Converted ice house storage room 
Original house heritage styled bedroom 
Mock Victorian fashion 
Heritage room red en-suite with a featured cedar bathtub 
Original house heritage bedroom eclectic decoration 
Heritage room blue en-suite with a featured cedar bathtub 
Contemporary styled bedroom 
Contemporary terrace overlooking River Moy
Programme 9
Overview
Originally a Victorian house built for storing ice, the Ice House in Ballina, County Mayo, has been transformed into an ultra-chic boutique with high levels of design and finish.
Owner
Pearse Farrell is widely regarded as one of Ireland's leading corporate restructuring and insolvency experts. The Ice House was bought by the Dublin-based accountant for more than €1 million in 2004. He has since invested around 15 million euro in transforming the property into this luxury spa hotel.
History
The Ice House (originally called Iceland Cottage or Iceland House) was built in 1836, as the home of the fishery managers. It composed of the living quarters, an ice store, workshop and boathouse for the fishery boats. Over 100 years ago, this historic building was a busy centre of enterprise exporting 40,000 salmon to Scotland annually. Throughout the winter, local farmers would pack tons of snow onto their horses and carts and transport it to the Ice House. The ice would then be pushed down through an aperture in the ground floor to the basement - at river level - which was known as Iceland. Today, after decades of disrepair, it has now been transformed into one of Ireland's most stylish and innovative hotels.
Features
There are two distinct interior design styles in the original house. An eclectic mix of decoration and furnishings have been used - as would have been common during the life of the original house. This reflects the nature of the original building and its heritage. The contemporary interiors are more neutral with generally simple off-white walls, natural timber and dark neutrals.
The original house has four "heritage" rooms, including two suites, all sumptuously decorated in mock Victorian fashion, with antique furnishings, expensive wallpapers and all mod-cons. Their bathrooms feature cedar bathtubs. The rest of the rooms are modern cubes on two levels, many overlooking the river, and fully fitted with everything a guest could require.