During the heyday of the showbands in the mid-1960's, the Ardmore played host to all the big bands. 
In October, 1978 singer star Dana married her long time partner, Damien Scallon. 
The first year of their marriage was overshadowed by a tragedy which saw the Ardmore,
which was owned by Damien, destroyed in an IRA bombing campaign on July 29th, 1979, along with four other Northern
Ireland hotels. The hotel was abandoned and the site lay derelict for almost a decade before the RUC built a new
police headquarters on the site.