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Royal curse: Fire claims iconic Roma hotel again
HISTORY: The Royal Hotel in Roma on fire in 1915. Photo: Contributed Contributed
WHEN The Royal Hotel Roma was consumed by flames on Saturday afternoon, it was a case of local history repeating itself.
It marked the fifth tragic time the town has seen a Royal Hotel destroyed by fire.
The blaze in the Royal Hotel intensifies. Tom Gillespie
Local historian Peter Keegan said the town's history meant any pub with the name The Royal proved to be ill-fated.
"If I was going to build a pub here in town, I wouldn't call it The Royal," he said.
"There is a lot of confusion surrounding the amount of pubs called The Royal.
"Many of the owners that left reopened another pub with the same name.
"All of The Royals the town has had have been destroyed by fire. It's sad to see such an old public building gone."
