The original castle dates back to 1861. During the 1930s it was used as a guesthouse but later fell into disrepair. Australian Andrew Turner has been appointed general manager with responsibility for day-to-day services as well as the financial operations of the reconstructed property. He says the expectation is that the hotel will draw 25% of its business from Northern Ireland, 40% from the rest of Ireland, and the remainder from the UK and other locations.

"We anticipate a lot of our guests coming from the North and from Dublin too. I believe Donegal has been missing out on certain areas of the tourism market. For example, until now, a lot of executive golf tours have not considered the excellent courses in this county because of the lack of suitable accommodation. Yes of course there are beautiful guesthouses and B&Bs in the county but, until now, the fivestar experience hasn't been available. We'll be hoping to tap into that market. At the same time, we want this to be a local attraction too and the bars and restaurants will be open to everyone."

Turner graduated from the Hotel School InterContinental in Sydney in 1993. Since then he has had over 15 years of international hotel management experience in six cities.

He left his last posting, in the Sinai peninsula in Egypt two months ago to take up his first job in Ireland. "It's certainly a change of scenery, " he laughs.

"It's very beautiful here with the hotel abutting Lough Eske, and with the mountains in the background. This is a 43-acre forested estate with walks, trekking and fishing available to our guests. We're planning to build a nursery and an organic garden, so there will be a 'getting back to nature' aspect to the experience."

There is a tradition of fishing on Lough Eske in November for char, a species of salmon available in only a small number of Irish lakes. The lake has 12 small islands, on one of which Donegal's famous O'Donnell clan was said to incarcerate prisoners back in the middle ages.

"The interior is in keeping with what you might call the traditional castle look. There are beautiful sandstone floors, oak staircases and dark panelled walls throughout the lounges. The bedrooms, on the other hand, have a very modern look. . . In that respect our guests can anticipate enjoying a contemporary VIP experience."

The Solis Lough Eske Castle Hotel opens on 7 December