Tag Archives: convent

IMAGES of a former Clare convent building feature in a new photography book that captures the eerie beauty of abandoned buildings the length and breadth of Ireland. The exact location of the convent has not been disclosed in order to deter vandals, but the black and white photos taken by Down native, Rebecca Brownlie, speak of a bygone era of prayer and sacrifice.   The images feature in Rebecca’s book Abandoned Ireland, which includes a total of 150 scenes from abandoned Big Houses to humble cottages, schools to prisons, churches and dance halls. Rebecca’s publisher, Merrion Press, said that while these buildings may now be abandoned, they are far from empty. “As a photographer, Brownlie’s instincts are remarkable,” her publicist said. “In the seemingly ruined and mundane she finds diamonds in the rough; her images of the ordinary ephemera of past lives – dusty love letters, rusting spectacles, photographs yellowed and curled with age – paint the pictures of real …

A PLANNING application has been lodged for a major residential development in Kilrush. The application, which has been made by A & M Tubridy, seeks to convert the old Convent structure at Back Road, Kilrush. It seeks permission to upgrade the existing stairways, install two lifts and develop 30 apartments. It also seeks to demolish part of an existing outbuilding, reduce ground levels and construct 20 new semi detached dwellings. The old convent is a protected structure and was used as a school for decades. Since education ceased there in the 1990s, it has been out of use. According to the application, the gross floor space of the existing building is 3705 metres square and this would be extended by another 230m2. Half of the apartments would be one beds and the other half two beds, while the houses would all be three beds. One hundred and seventeen parking spaces would be provided. According to the documents submitted, the applicants …