Residents move from historic nursing home
The last residents were today moving out of a historic nursing home in County Mayo which dates back more than 300 years.
In its long history, Castlemcgarret in Claremorris has experienced fire, army occupation and even a bizarre attempt to raise pigs in its drawing rooms and boudoirs.
The Our Lady of Apostles order, which has run the castle as a nursing home since 1964, said the closure was very emotional for staff and the 22 remaining residents.
“I think there’s a feeling of sadness. The sisters, the staff, the residents and their relatives. It’s a very important move for all of them,” said Sister Joan, a member of the leadership team.
The residents are moving to a new purpose-built nursing home in Claremorris, while the Cork-based order is selling the castle because of the increasing age of its sisters and the age of the fire and lift facilities.
“The standards required have changed appreciably since this place opened in 1964. To update the place to modern requirements would be so prohibitive and impossible to carry out,” said Sister Joan.
Castlemcgarret is in the middle of a 120-acre estate just off the N17 road between Galway and Sligo. It was recently placed on the market with a guide price of five million euro (£3.4m), after an agreed sale fell through.
The castle was originally built in the 1830s by Lord Oranmore and Browne, a Whig MP. It was occupied by the Irish army during the civil war, which saved it from destruction, but was extensively damaged in a 1932 fire. The castle was sold to the state by the fourth Lord Oranmore and Browne in 1962.
He had been suffering financial difficulties and even the desperate scheme to raise pigs in the castle – so that buyers would pay a premium for them- was a failure.
When he died in 2002 at the age of 100, he held the record as the longest-serving member of the House of Lords.
The final Mass in the castle’s oratory was said yesterday, along with a special celebratory dinner for the residents.
Sister Joan said the sisters and the staff were proud to have looked after the hundreds of people who had passed through the home.
“They were very well cared for and the standard of care was very good,” she said.
Although the castle has been used as a nursing home for the past 40 years, its turrets, staircases and ceilings have been perfectly preserved.
Westport-based estate agent Peter Tuohy said the most obvious use for the castle was as a luxury hotel.
“It represents good value by virtue of its location, frontage and quality. You’d be lucky to get a site in Ballsbrige for that price,” he said.
He added that he was confident the castle would be sold.
