Major extension plans for famous Tyrone hospitality venue

Plans have been put forward for a major extension to one of Tyrone’s best known hospitality venues.

The owners of Canavan’s in Garvaghey want to add another eight bedrooms to the 15 rooms the business currently offers.

The new plans, submitted to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council this week, would also see a health spa and ‘recovery suite’ opened at Canavan’s.

The business, known for generations as Kelly’s Inn, was taken over in 2024 by the Inn Bar Group along with Tyrone GAA legend Peter Canavan, whose name the venue now bears.

According to information on Canavan’s website, Kelly’s Inn was started by Tommy and Annie Kelly who took over from the Higgins family when they married in 1937.

Tommy and Annie had eight children who all participated in the business from a young age.

The website states: “From 1937 till 2024, the venue known as Kelly’s Inn served the needs of all customers, from the weary traveller looking for a place to stay, the working man in for a pint at the end of the day, the lovestruck couple planning their wedding day or a family in for some quality time over a delicious meal.

“In March 2024, the Inn Bar Group came together with local businessman and one of the most renowned names in Irish sport, Peter Canavan, to take over the reins of the venue. “Canavan’s” as we now know it, was born.”