The Irish in Britain, including those of Irish descent, make up a significant part of the UK population. Here, you will find news, entertainment, events, sports and features from the local Irish Post newspaper.

A MYSTERY buyer has snapped up the entire contents of Jurys Hotel in Dublin’s Ballsbridge three days before a public auction was due to take place.

Insiders were this week speculating the buyer was millionaire property developer Sean Dunne who bought the hotel and site for a record ?260million two years ago.

They suggested he planned to keep the hotel open until he gained planning permission for new apartments and shops on the

5.5-acre site.

But a spokesperson for the tycoon said it was unlikely Mr Dunne had bought the contents saying he was out of the country and could not be contacted.

And a spokeswoman for auctioneers Pro Auction claimed the buyer was a British-based hotel group.

The buyer is thought to have paid close to ?2million for everything from the kitchen sink to bar stools, crockery and beds.

There had been strong interest from the hospitality industry in the run-up to the public auction scheduled to be held last Friday.

Buyers were preparing to travel from all over Britain and Ireland to bid at the biggest auction sale of a hotel’s entire contents in Europe. But the auction was cancelled after the sale was completed.

The final price was said to be around the figure hoped for by the Jurys Hotel Group had the contents gone to auction.

The four-star hotel closed its doors last week after four decades in business.