DOORS OPEN TO NEW ERA FOR RATHMORE PROJECT

THE Presentation Sisters have been in Rathmore since 1882 and their legacy in the locality continues thanks to the official opening of the convent restoration project last weekend.

The first phase of this ambitious €1.1 million scheme is all down to the hard work of the Rathmore Social Action Group who organised various fundraising initiatives to ensure the work would take place, including a very generous donation from The Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle of €250,000.

The old building has been transformed into four beautiful apartments for older people in the community, as well as a residential area in the remainder of the building for the Presentation Sisters. This project has established a vital community service, while also creating employment for the area with nine people, on average, working on the project since it started in December, 2015.

The completion of Phase 1 - which took a year and a half to finish - now paves the way for Phase 2 which will see the demolition of the old Presentation national school to make way for four more houses for elderly people in the community.

“The convent has been beautifully finished, both inside and outside. We’re absolutely thrilled with it. The developed phase went extremely well and even prior to that, negotiations with the Presentation Sisters was very fruitful, as was dealing with architects and contractors,” said Jerh O’Donoghue, Chairperson of Rathmore Social Action Group.

Jerh praised the huge effort by young people in the locality during the final stages when everyone pulled together to tidy up the development and get it ready for the opening.

“We got no grants whatsoever for this development, so we are very grateful to the Ring of Kerry Cycle for their huge contribution. The rest of the funds came from our own enterprises. It’s a massive success story and the works have really added to the visual impact of the village, especially as you come from the Killarney side.”