“I'd really like to acknowledge the Local Enterprise Office here in Waterford. As the first-stop shop for anyone starting or growing a business in the county, they've been a genuinely valuable support to us.”
The Hatmaker is a boutique townhouse hotel in Dungarvan. It is a beautifully restored, listed heritage building, blending historical charm with modern luxury.
The story really begins with the building itself. The Hatmaker is a protected heritage structure in the centre of Dungarvan, and the challenge David Burke and his team set themselves was to run it to modern environmental standards without compromising its character.
The result is an A2 BER rating (a genuine achievement for a building of its age) delivered through a combination of heat pumps, high-performance insulation, and efficient ventilation throughout. Just some of the reasons The Hatmaker won the 2025 Waterford Glas Award from the Local Enterprise Office Waterford.
David explained the philosophy of the business, “Beyond the fabric of the building, sustainability runs through how we operate day to day. We aim to run the business as efficiently as possible. From an energy point of view our light and heating is as efficient as possible as evidenced by our A2 BER. We generate power through our solar panels and our electric provider, Flogas, uses 100% renewable energy.
“We also look to source as much as possible from local suppliers, our milk is delivered in reusable glass bottles from just 4km away, and our breads and pastries are hand delivered from a Dungarvan bakery across the road with zero packaging.
“The payoff has been twofold. Environmentally, we've dramatically reduced our footprint. Commercially, the running costs, particularly heating, cooling, and hot water, are dramatically lower than you'd expect for a building of this vintage. It's an approach I'd wholeheartedly recommend to anyone restoring a heritage property.”
David recognises the LEO in Waterford and its contribution, “I'd really like to acknowledge the Local Enterprise Office here in Waterford. As the first-stop shop for anyone starting or growing a business in the county, they've been a genuinely valuable support to us. Whenever we've had queries, their advice, information and mentoring have been exactly what we needed, and I'd recommend them to any local business without hesitation.”
One way the Local Enterprise Office assists aspiring green businesses is the Energy Efficiency Grant. It supports the investment in technologies and equipment of enterprises following on from a Green for Business Report, GreenStart Report or a SEAI Energy Audit. This includes 75% of eligible costs from a minimum grant of €750 to a maximum of €10,000. The aim of the scheme is to reduce the impact of enterprises on the environment thereby increasing the agility and resilience of these businesses, to operate in a sustainable manner. The support provided should be to support the recommendations of one of the above reports.
Looking ahead, the ambition is to establish The Hatmaker Boutique Hotel as a truly premium boutique offering, a town-centre destination that's known and renowned right across Ireland.
But it doesn’t stop there, over the summer of 2026 David and the team took on a new property on Mary Street, Dungarvan, a collection of serviced apartments that they've fully refurbished and refurnished. They're now available under a new brand, The Yard Dungarvan, for short-term and corporate lets.
Local Enterprise Office Waterford is here to help you start a business, expand an existing business or reach new markets. It provides advice, information and supports in starting up or growing your business as part of a network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices across Ireland.
Contact your Local Enterprise Office Waterford for their latest training programmes, grants and events schedule on www.localenterprise.ie/Waterford or email info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie for access to all their training support information.
To find out more about The Hatmaker see, www.thehatmaker.ie
