Refugee accommodation mooted at former boarding school in Clara

A former boarding school site in Clara could be redeveloped for use as accommodation for refugees, it has been confirmed.

There was recent speculation locally that the former Inchmore House site in Kilcoursey, Clara, could be used to house new arrivals to Ireland.

In response to a query from this newspaper, a spokesperson for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth confirmed it had "received an offer of accommodation" at the "former boarding school, Inchmore House, Clara".

The Department spokesperson said the offer of accommodation was for "beneficiaries of temporary protection" in Ireland.

"The offer is under negotiation, therefore no further information can be provided at this time," the spokesperson said.

It was added that a listed building at Inchmore House was "not currently part of" the accommodation proposal.

Inchmore House was built in 1846. It was bought by the Franciscan order in the 1930s and dormitories were added as a boarding school, known as St Anthony's, began operating there.

It's understood that the school closed in 1990 and that buildings on the site had fallen into a poor state of disrepair in more recent years.

When previously listed for sale, Inchmore House was described as "a large period structure on 20 acres" which included a private church and would be suitable for "a number of potential uses".

"The property is steeped in history and once played host to Robert Goodbody’s friend and business partner Marconi for 12 months while he was perfecting the Telegram, and it is believed the Marconi Wireless Telecom Company was formed in the front room of Inchmore House after Marconi’s first successful product testing," the property listing for the site stated.