Judge orders closure of nuns’ nursing home.

A nursing home for elderly nuns in Monaghan run by their religious congregation is set to close after a ruling from a district court judge.

Judge Sean MacBride granted the order to Monaghan County Council in respect of the home situated in the grounds of the St Louis convent.  The council claimed the building did not comply with fire safety regulations.  The judge also upheld a refusal by the Health Service Executive to register the premises as a nursing home.

A barrister for the trustees of the home said the decision - which can be appealed to the Circuit Court - would mean the home, which looks after sixteen nuns and employs thirty-two people, will now close.

The court heard that while three possible development options for the building had been put forward, only one was deemed satisfactory by the Council’s fire officials and would entail expense of a level the St Louis order could probably not afford.  This was because it would have entailed the erection of an external stairway and an elevator, which would be a costly project.

The order had pointed out that the building was made of stone, had high ceilings and no fireplaces and claimed there was no evidence that it was a fire hazard.  It added that the building was equipped with a well-maintained fire alarm system.

The average age of the retired St Louis nuns who reside in the home is said to be 90.

Mr Frank Martin, BL, for the nuns, said that the Council was trying to impose a regime that represented, “the pursuit of absolute perfection.”

But County Council solicitor Enda O’Carroll said that it was “fundamental” that there be a viable alternative means of escape from the building in the event of fire.  The current layout of the building was absolutely unsuitable and there was no way that anyone could be evacuated safely, he added.

Deciding in favour of the Council, Judge MacBride said the nursing home was built in the nineteenth century and was wholly inadequate for modern needs.  But he said he would make no order for the costs of the County Council in view of the fact that the St Louis sisters had “given sterling service to the community.”

by Fintan Deere