'A major opportunity': Mooreabbey Monasterevin is being sold to county council

A long standing disability residential and respite centre that served many Laois people over the years, is being sold for public and community use.

Mooreabbey in Monasterevin near Ballybrittas in Laois, is "in the final stages" of being sold to Kildare County Council who have big plans for the property and grounds.

The gothic mansion with extensive woodland grounds on the River Barrow, most recently served as the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary headquarters, and for many years was used as a convent, hospital and asylum. It also gave jobs to many Laois staff. 

One part of the grounds is to be used to build a new fire station, with €3 million announced for that last week.

Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O’Loughlin has described the purchase of Mooreabbey as a 'breakthrough for the local community'.

She says that the council is 'in the final stages' of progressing the acquisition of the site including its lands and buildings from the trustees of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary, with the intention of bringing it into use for the benefit of the community.

It is understood the process is being carried out with the aid of the autism support organisation, the Muiríosa Foundation, with the group set to remain on site for a period following the transfer.

Welcoming the latest development, Senator O'Loughlin said: "This is something I have been pushing for a long time so it is very encouraging to see real progress now being made.

"Mooreabbey is a major asset for our community in the heart of Monasterevin and people have always recognised its potential. We now have the chance to make the most of that.

"The key priority now is to keep momentum and once the deal is complete we need to move quickly to bring the grounds back into use for the community."

Senator O’Loughlin also claimed that the scale of the site presents 'a major opportunity' for the region: "There’s enormous potential here, from walking routes and green spaces to recreational facilities; it could become a really important amenity not just for Monasterevin, but for the wider area.

"At the same time, it’s important to say that the Muiríosa Foundation does incredibly valuable work, and that must continue to be supported.

"There is more than enough space to allow both to happen; this is about using the site in a way that works for everyone.

"Projects like this don’t come along very often; this is a chance to do something genuinely transformative for the town."

"People want to see Mooreabbey opened up, used and enjoyed, and now we’re closer than ever to making that happen," Senator O'Loughlin said.

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The historic Georgian Gothic mansion was built in the 1760s for the Earls of Drogheda. It was one famously leased by tenor Count John McCormack.

It was built on the site of a monastery founded by St Evin in the 5th century, hence the town’s name. It was refounded as a Cistercian monastery in the 12th century. The abbey and manor were granted to Edward Moore, renamed Mooreabbey.

Adapted from a report funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.