Pembroke Kilkenny Hotel History

Our Inspiring Past

Our hotel stands on the site of the famous Stathams Garage. Stathams thrived on excellence, innovation and community - crafting racing bespoke cars with remarkable success in the 1920s and 1930s. Our bar and restaurant are named 'Stathams' to honour that pioneering spirit with memorabilia linking our contemporary hospitality to the site's storied past. 

The Racing Era

The 1930s were a very special era in Irish motor racing. The three successful Irish International Grand Prix held in Dublin’s Phoenix Park between 1929 and 1931 encouraged many enthusiasts to become involved and led to races being held on street and road circuits throughout Ireland.

For those that could not afford a purpose-built racing car, there was an alternative – designing and building your own ‘Special’. This was a very popular route into motor racing for Irish enthusiasts and these ‘Specials’ were often of a very high standard and very competitive.

The Statham-Ford Special

One of the most famous Specials was the Statham-Ford Special built in the garage of the same name. Driven initially by it’s designer and builder, George Statham, the car was driven to several notable successes by MJ Hynes, who took over driving duties in 1930.

Powered by a Ford V-8 engine it had such a notable success at the 1934 Phoenix Park Senior Race that it won outright in a new record time. But it’s greatest success came in the 1935 Limerick Grand Prix, a street race that attracted some of the world's best drivers. There it placed 7th overall against some of the finest purpose-built racing cars of the day built by such legendary names as ERA, MG and Bugatti. Watch the video below to see the car in action.