Planning permission has been approved for the Sunflower Children's Hospice in Castlebar, a major step forward for specialist paediatric palliative care in Ireland. The facility will be the first children's hospice built outside Dublin and the first new children's hospice to be developed in the country in more than 15 years.

Funded by the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation and located in Moneen, Castlebar, the hospice will support children with life-limiting conditions and their families across the western seaboard. Since the plans were unveiled in November 2025, €9 million has been raised through community and corporate fundraising, donor support and local initiatives, towards a total project cost of €20 million.

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The sod will be turned at the Castlebar site next month, with construction due to begin in January 2027. The build is expected to take about two years, with the hospice scheduled to welcome patients in 2029. The 36,000 sq ft facility has been co-designed with families and clinicians, incorporating practical and therapeutic features such as a front-entrance canopy, a shower immediately inside the door and a hydrotherapy pool. It will include eight en-suite bedrooms with private patio or garden access, four family accommodation suites, sensory rooms and gardens, dedicated spaces for children and young adults, teaching and education areas, and reflection and quiet rooms.