Former Kilcormac convent to house Ukrainian refugees

The former Convent of Mercy in Kilcormac is to be used as an accommodation centre for people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The planned use of the building for this purpose was confirmed by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, but it declined to give a figure for how many people would be accommodated there.

Previous plans for the building to be used as a residential drug and alcohol treatment centre were approved by Offaly County Council in 2021.

However, the award of planning permission was then appealed to An Bord Pleanala by a group called 'Concerned Residents Kilcormac', and last April the planning board decided to refuse permission for the treatment centre project.

This week, the Department told the Offaly Independent that the local facility would be used to accommodate people coming from Ukraine "as the need arises".

"At present, it is not possible to provide details regarding how many persons fleeing the conflict in Ukraine will be allocated to The Convent, Kilcormac, as (this will) depend on the number of people arriving into the country on a daily basis," said a Department spokesperson.

The Department added that it had so far provided accommodation to 54,885 people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine through its Ukrainian Crisis Temporary Accommodation Team.