A Lisacul family has welcomed planning permission for the Sunflower Children’s Hospice in Castlebar, which will support children with life-limiting conditions across the west.
Linda Cox, whose 12-year-old son Daire requires round-the-clock care, said the development would ease the burden on families travelling to Dublin for specialist services.
She said it would give families “breathing space, strength, and hope”.
The €20 million project is being funded by Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, with approximately €9 million already raised.
Construction is expected to begin in January 2027, with the hospice scheduled to open to patients in 2029.
The facility will include eight en-suite bedrooms, four family accommodation suites, sensory spaces, a hydrotherapy pool and dedicated areas for children and young adults.
Families and clinicians helped shape its design.
The HSE says it will be the first children’s hospice built outside Dublin and the first new children’s hospice developed in Ireland in more than 15 years.
Fundraising will continue to support delivery of the project.
