Open Day taking place this Friday on future of Ferbane convent

An Open Day event will take place this week at St Joseph's Convent in Ferbane in order to gather views from the local community on the redevelopment of the landmark building and its grounds.

The event will be held in the convent this Friday, March 31, from 3pm to 7pm.

The An Síolán community project in Ferbane was organised to help ensure that the convent building "continues the immense contribution it has made to the local community since it first hosted the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny in 1896."

The building is due to be redeveloped in the coming years, with St Hilda's Services and the Laois Offaly Education Training Board (LOETB) set to become its anchor tenants.

A "multi-purpose community space" is also due to be developed and will be available for use through An Síolán, which will hold the lease on the revitalised building that has been purchased by Offaly County Council.

A press release about the upcoming Open Day said widespread consultation on the convent project was not possible during the Covid-19 pandemic, "but thankfully the time is now right, prior to the appointment of a design team, to consider the wider community's views and comments on the refurbishment of St Joseph's Convent, ancillary buildings and grounds, for use as a multi-purpose community, enterprise and learning space in Ferbane."

It was stated that the local knowledge being gathered "will help identify the uses and opportunities for the entire property over the next number of years," and that community feedback would be "crucial in shaping the design process" for the refurbishment of the convent and its grounds.

Comments or submissions are welcome in person on Friday or through an online portal, which can be accessed here, and will remain open until April 21 next.

The An Síolán group takes its name from a traditional seed basket, and this was chosen because of its vision to have many community strands interacting together to create a movement that will help sow seeds of hope, and be a catalyst, for the sustainable future of Ferbane.

Offaly County Council partnered with An Síolán in making a successful application to the national Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) that focuses on the convent being transformed into a viable, vibrant and attractive space for people to work and visit that also functions as a service, social, cultural and social hub for the community.