ABBEY BUILDING & RENOVATION PROJECT

Abbey Building & Renovation Project

History

The property of St. Mary’s Abbey, Glencairn has been the much loved home of our monastic community since 1932. We give thanks to God for the continuous growth in membership in our community since our foundation and for the heritage and beauty of our surroundings at Glencairn.

The Sisters of St. Mary’s Abbey, Glencairn began seeking professional assistance to assess our future building requirements in 2008. The community recognised the necessity of upgrading our buildings in order to continue to maintain our presence here as a monastic community.

In 2011, planning permission was granted by Waterford County Council for major building and renovation works at the Abbey, followed by a period of fundraising. The project commenced on a phased basis in 2014. By July 2017, three phases of the project were successfully completed.

Phase 1: 2014-2015
1. Enabling works commenced on our building and renovation project in June 2014.
Phase 1: 2014-2015
2. A 19th century outbuilding of the Abbey was converted for use as a workshop for Glencairn Cards.
Phase 1: 2014-2015
3. The newly renovated workshop for Glencairn Cards printing and production was completed by Christmas 2014.
Phase 1: 2014-2015
4. A new biofuel boiler for our Miscanthus crop was installed to heat the monastery.
Phase 1: 2014-2015
5. A storage shed for our biofuel Miscanthus was constructed on the farm.

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Phase 2: 2015-2016
1. Phase 2 of the project commenced in March 2015 with the demolition of the north-facing sisters’ refectory and accommodation wing of the Abbey.
Phase 2: 2015-2016
2. A new accommodation wing was rebuilt on the same site designed by Quinn Architects, challenged with designing a building sensitive to archaeological findings from the period of the original castle which was located in this area.
Phase 2: 2015-2016
3. O’Gorman Construction building team completed construction of the community residential block in August 2016.
Phase 2: 2015-2016
4. A further aim of Phase 2 was to demolish the 1973 two-storey gable end on the north side of the east-wing of the monastery.
Phase 2: 2015-2016
5. The newly constructed gable end restored the east wing to its original 1819 design and construction.
Phase 2: 2015-2016
6. Building and renovation work of Phase 2 was completed on the north and north-east side of the monastery in August 2016.

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Phase 3: 2016-2017
1. Repair work of the roof of the south wing of the monastery revealed extensive damage, necessitating the construction of a totally new roof.
Phase 3: 2016-2017
2. South wing and partial west wing re-roofing took place in Phase 3. Demolition of west cloister link corridor was also carried out.
Phase 3: 2016-2017
3. Reconstruction of West cloister link corridor and cloister-garth was completed by July 2017.
Phase 3: 2016-2017
4. The south wing, the Abbey guesthouse roof and refurbishment of interior was completed in June 2017. The guesthouse re-opened to receive guests in July 2017.

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Phase 1: 2014-2015

This preliminary phase had the following objectives:

Upgrade of water, electrics, heating, sewage and drainage systems serving the monastery building to meet certification standards.
Installation of a new specialised boiler to burn our biofuel Miscanthus crop grown here on our Abbey farm.
Construction of a new storage shed for our biofuel Miscanthus.
Renovation of an Abbey outbuilding to accommodate a new design and printing workshop for Glencairn Cards.
Re-inforcement of man-made caves beneath the north wing of the monastery in preparation for the demolition and construction of a new resdential block for the community.

This phase of works began in June 2014 and was completed successfully in March 2015.

Phase 2: 2015-2016

Phase 2 of the building project had the following major objectives:

Demolition of the north wing of the monastery, constructed in 1932.
Construction of a new north-facing residential wing for the monastic community.
Demolition of the two-storey gable end (1973) at the east wing of the monastery.
Landscaping of surrounds of east and north facing exterior of the monastery.
Reconstruction of the original one-storey 1819 east wing gable end above the ground floor.

This phase began in March 2015 and was successfully completed in August 2016.

Phase 3: 2016-2017

In September 2016, Phase 3 of the project began, with the following objectives:

Partial re-roofing of the south and west wing of the monastery, which has housed the Abbey guesthouse. This building dates from 1695.
To demolish and rebuild the west cloister link corridor of the monastery.
To restore original windows in the south (c.1695) and west (c.1750) wings of the building.

Commencement of work on the south wing revealed much more serious damage than anticipated, requiring a completely new roof and first floor renovation, including fire-safety and electrical upgrading. This phase was successfully completed at the end of July 2017. This south facing wing of the monastery will continue to function as our guesthouse until our new guesthouse and hospitality centre is completed in Phase 4 of the project.

Future Needs:

Awaiting further funding:

Phase 4: Construction of new guesthouse & hospitality centre, including a new reception and small shop, provision of a function room, parlour area, guest dining-room and six-en suite bedrooms for residential guests.

Phase 5: Essential repair and redecoration work remains to be undertaken in the east wing of the monastery constructed in 1819.