Mayo Children's Hospice gets planning green light

Planning permission has been granted for the Sunflower Children’s Hospice in Mayo, marking a landmark moment in the development of specialist paediatric palliative care in Ireland.

The hospice located in Moneen in Castlebar will be the first children’s hospice to be built outside Dublin and the first new children’s hospice developed in Ireland in more than 15 years.

Funded by Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, the Sunflower Children’s Hospice will provide dedicated support for children with life-limiting conditions and their families, across the western seaboard.

Since the plans were first unveiled in November 2025, €9 million has already been raised through community and corporate fundraising, donor support and local initiatives. The final cost of the development is €20 million.

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.

The hospice’s design has been shaped by families who will use the service, alongside clinicians, to ensure it reflects the needs of children and their families. Feedback helped inform practical and therapeutic features, including a canopy over the front entrance, a shower immediately inside the front door and a hydrotherapy pool.

The 36,000 square foot state-of-the-art Sunflower Children’s Hospice will also include eight en-suite bedrooms with private garden or patio access; four family accommodation suites; sensory rooms and sensory gardens; dedicated children and young adult spaces; teaching and education facilities and reflection and quiet rooms.

Jennifer Carroll McNeill, Minister for Health, said: “Today marks an important milestone in delivering the Sunflower Children’s Hospice and in improving access to specialist paediatric palliative care for children and families across the West of Ireland. 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. I also want to thank the Foundation’s supporters and the communities across the region who have worked tirelessly to make this project a reality. Planning permission brings us another important step closer to seeing the Sunflower Children’s Hospice open its doors and providing a lasting service to families across the West of Ireland.

“The Government and the HSE are committed to supporting this much-needed facility, which will provide high-quality specialist care and respite in a purpose-built environment designed around the needs of children, young adults and their families.”

Martina Jennings, CEO and Paul Foxe, Chair of the Board, Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation both welcomed the planning permission.

“Today marks a historic day for Sunflower Children’s Hospice. First of all, we would like to thank Mayo County Council and the elected councillors for their support throughout the planning process. The support from HSE West and North West, the Department of Health and the Minister for Health has been incredible, and this project will be delivered because of this collaboration.

“Most importantly, we are delighted for the children, young adults and families that will benefit from the Sunflower Children’s Hospice. So many of them gave their time during our workshops earlier this year to help shape the design of the hospice and tell us exactly what they needed. This hospice will ensure that the services a child or young adult with a life-limiting illness needs are no longer determined by where they live in our country.

“Since launching our fundraising campaign last November, we have reached nearly €9 million. I cannot thank our communities, corporate donors and volunteers enough. Their generosity and belief in this project have been phenomenal.

“The fundraising doesn’t stop here. We need to continue our fundraising drive over the next two years to ensure the doors open and that these vital services can be delivered for generations to come.”

Chuck Dunford, from Ballina, Co Mayo, whose son Kevin died in April 2014 after years of travelling back and forth to Dublin to receive care for a life-limiting condition, said:

“Today’s planning permission announcement is a monumental step forward for children and families across the western seaboard. We know how important it is for children and families to have this specialist palliative care support in this region, having experienced first-hand the challenges of travelling to Dublin to access inpatient hospice care for Kevin.

“When we as a family stood on the site of the Sunflower Children’s Hospice a few weeks ago, we were overwhelmed with emotion to think that the sod would be turned towards the end of the year and, now that the planning has come through, that this will now become a reality.

“For us as a family, it is lovely to think that with the building of the Sunflower Children’s Hospice, other children and families in the future will not have to face the same challenges as we did, and will now be able to access specialist palliative care on the western seaboard. The Sunflower Children’s Hospice in the West of Ireland will be transformative beyond belief.”

Dr Hilary Stokes, Consultant Paediatrician, HSE West and North West, Director of the Children’s & Young People’s Network, HSE West & North West, said: “The opening of the Sunflower Children’s Hospice will represent a significant advance in paediatric palliative care provision for the West and North West. It will ensure children with life-limiting conditions and their families have access to specialist, purpose-built care closer to home, supported by the appropriate clinical governance structures.”

To make a donation to the Sunflower Children’s Hospice, see sunflowerchildrenshospice.ie