Castlebar milestone brings children's hospice closer to reality
A sod-turning ceremony has marked progress towards specialist care for young people with life-limiting conditions in the west. The €20 million Sunflower development is due to welcome patients in 2029, with fundraising continuing.
A new children’s hospice for the west of Ireland moved a step closer as ministers Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Dara Calleary turned the sod in Castlebar.
The Sunflower Children’s Hospice, being developed by Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, will be the first built outside Dublin. Planning permission was granted in October, with construction expected to begin in January 2027 and patients due to be welcomed in 2029.
The foundation has raised €9 million of the €20 million cost since plans were unveiled in November 2025. It is seeking the remaining €11 million from supporters, businesses and communities.
Health Minister Carroll MacNeill recalled meeting Chuck and Mairead Dunford, who shared the story of their son Kevin and said a hospice in the west would be “transformative”. Families from Donegal to Limerick need access to the service, she said.
Foundation CEO Martina Jennings and chair Paul Foxe said families and clinicians had helped shape the design. The 36,000 sq ft facility will include eight en-suite bedrooms, four family suites, sensory spaces and gardens, a hydrotherapy pool, education facilities and quiet rooms.
HSE regional executive officer Tony Canavan welcomed the development, while ambassadors Andy Moran and Aidan O’Shea attended the ceremony. More information is available at https://sunflowerchildrenshospice.ie/.