Rathmore’s Presentation Convent looking forward to a bright, new future
THE Presentation Convent in Rathmore was purchased just over a year ago with the aim of providing housing and accommodation for older people in the area and it’s all thanks to the vision, hard work and fundraising efforts of local people that the €1.7 million project is well underway with 9 people, on average, working on site each day.
The works are being carried out in two phases: the convent - which was originally built in 1882 - and the adjoining national school. On completion, the convent will consist of a residential area for the Presentation sisters and 4 apartments for older people, while phase two will see the demolition of the nearby national school to make way for four two-bedroom houses for older people in the community.
The fundraising efforts of the Social Action Group in Rathmore are well known and the work they do over in Teach Iosagáin is enormous and a great credit to all involved there. Fundraising for the restoration of the convent has been ongoing for the past 5 years and funds have been generated on the back of hard work, good will, and local charity organisations, as Jerh O’Donoghue of Rathmore Social Action Group explains:
“The majority of fundraising has been done through our own enterprise here within the local community and we have also been very fortunate to receive €300,000 from The Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle, who have been fantastic to us. We’re now in the process of raising a loan of €500,000 from Clann Credo which is a fund set up by religious orders and what they look for in return is a social dividend, which this project certainly is.”
Jerh continued. “We are carrying on the proud tradition of the Meitheal in helping to improve the lives of people in our community and the majority of our members are young people and we have around 16 adults also involved. We’re expecting the convent development to be finished by this Christmas and part two of the project to be finished the following Christmas.”