Convent church may become court house

September 1995

The scales of justice may soon replace religious icons in the old convent church of the St John of God Order at Spawell Road in Wexford.

The property, which stands on an eight-acre site, was recently bought by the building company, Neville & Sons, for over £350,000.

The plan is to build private houses on the land, leaving the convent available for alternative use, and from grapevine information, it looks likely that Wexford Circuit and District Courts could move there.

Behind the scenes, negotiations are going on between Wexford County Council, which is responsible for court accommodation, and the building firm, it is understood.

No deal has yet been finalised, but it is thought that financial discussions are at an advanced stage.

The Spawell Road property would be an ideal edge of town setting for the courts, which are currently housed in old and inadequate accommodation in the County Hall.

When sittings of the District and Circuit Courts coincide, the District Court has to move into the council chamber. Family law courts are normally held in a cramped room at the rear of the court, court staff have to work in tight conditions, and all in all, the set-up is an unsatisfactory one.

The spacious convent building would instead offer private family law space, adequate staff accommodation consultation rooms, and solicitor/ barrister accommodation.

One preliminary suggestion, it seems, is to turn the convent chapel into a courtroom. If that happens, there may as many prayers being sent up by defendants facing prosecution as there used to be during the nuns’ time there.