Planning permission has been granted for the first children’s hospice outside of Dublin. Sunflower Children’s Hospice is due to open in Castlebar, Co Mayo in 2029.
The plans were unveiled in November 2025 and €9 million has been raised through community and corporate fundraising, donor support and local initiatives. The final cost of the development is €20 million.
It is the first new facility of its kind to be developed in 15 years.
Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation is behind the construction of Sunflower Children’s Hospice.
RM Block
Located in Moneen, Castlebar, it will provide dedicated support for children with life-limiting conditions and their families across the western seaboard.
The sod will be turned at the Moneen site in Castlebar next month, with construction expected to begin in January 2027. The project is anticipated to take approximately two years to complete, with the hospice scheduled to open to patients in 2029.
Feedback from families was incorporated in the design of the hospice.
The 36,000 sq ft facility will have en suite bedrooms with a private garden or patio access, four family accommodation suites, sensory rooms and gardens, a hydrotherapy pool and dedicated children and young adult spaces.
Teaching and education facilities will also be part of the building, and reflection rooms.
Daire Cox, from Lisacul, Co Roscommon, is 12 years old and needs around-the-clock care. His mother Linda Cox said: “It’s an emotional day for parents of children with life-limiting illnesses in the west of Ireland and we are so thrilled that the Sunflower Children’s Hospice is over the line.”
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said: “No family should face additional challenges in accessing the care and support they need because of where they live.
“I want to acknowledge the incredible work of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation in bringing this vision forward and for the dedication, leadership and determination that has brought the project to this stage.”
