The sight of the Imperial Hotel, abandoned and derelict in the heart of Castlebar seems a crying shame and given the fact the property is now owned by Mayo County Council it seems that there is definite scope to make use of the space in a way that can be of benefit to all the people of Mayo.
My suggestion would be that the location and historical significance of the building might be better served by redeveloping the site into a 'Museum of Mayo', operating as a hub for the various museums, galleries and heritage sites dotted over the county as well as a centrepiece within the county town to serve, and encourage growth in, the tourist trade.
It seems like recent innovations like the Greenway and the 'Wild Atlantic Way' promotion along with more traditional events like Reek Sunday and the 4 Day Walks have brought a lot of vistors to Mayo generally and Castlebar specifically and it would be great to capitalise on that with a place in town that celebrated Mayo's history and also let vistors know about the tremendous range of places to visit that exist countywide.
I think that refurbishing the Imperial Hotel into a museum with a permanent exhibition that provided a timeline for the history of Mayo from the Neolithic Age up to now and drawing on themes like the contrast between urban, rural and coastal life would be fascinating and allow for the spotlight to be cast upon other sites like Ceide Fields, the Museum of Country Life and Clare Island as places that tourists (and indeed residents of Mayo itself) might like to visit to learn more about certain topics.
If successful I think an institution like this could be a really effective nexus for tourism, heritage and education across the county, informing visitors to any of the affiliated sites in Mayo of a large central resource and from that central location encouraging vistors to explore spots across all of the county. I know plenty of people living in Castlebar who had no idea of the treasures on display in the Jackie Clarke Collection in Ballina and I'm sure there are plenty of people in Ballina who would love to be able to visit the place where the Land League was formed.
Additionally, it could provide an amazing resource for schools in Castlebar and across Mayo with workshops and activities provided for children through their schools in term time and in the holidays through their parents or other organisations.
I understand that the refurbishment of the building generally would be an expensive proposition, let alone for a specialised use like this, but I think that a project of this kind would energise the people of Castlebar and Mayo and could expect substantial financial support from private individuals and would be the sort of bipartisan project that would bring agreement amongst political opponents at a local and national level in terms of agreeing on funding initiatives. Additionally, and I'll freely admit to being entirely ignorant on this, it feels like the kind of project that could very easily garner support (and therefore funding) through the EU.
Finally, it seems like even in post-pandemic times it will be a case that people should be encouraged to look locally for places to visit and explore. Financially, giving families who can only really afford a 'staycation' in Mayo a way to discover new places to visit will be important and just in practical terms, incentivising people to stay close to home and not travel too widely will probably be a good idea even after the vaccination rollout is complete and the pandemic itself is exhausted. There's also a definite financial gain in encouraging residents of, and visitors to, Mayo to wander around 'in county' meaning that money being spent on holidays stays in Mayo as much as possible.
That the Imperial Hotel in Castlebar is converted into a museum and this becomes a nexus for a network comprised of the vast array of heritage spots across the county.
This would see the refurbishment of a property located in the heart of the county town with a rich history of it's own while also allowing Mayo to celebrate it's vibrant history, as well as encouraging residents and visitors to travel within Mayo rather than wandering too far away. This 'recirculation' of residents and tourists within Mayo makes sense from a public health perspective in a post-pandemic environment and also make good economic sense for the county, keeping spending as local as possible.