25th June 2025

Brendan Gleeson joined us in our Raheny hospice today to launch our Buy a Brick campaign to support the building of a 24 single-bed in-patient unit. Brendan, whose parents both received care in St Francis Hospice Raheny, said, “I know how much of a game changer this new facility will be for the entire community of North Dublin. Brick by brick, we can make this happen.”

St Francis Hospice needs to raise €20million for the new facility, which will enable staff to care for 9,600 patients over the next 25 years. That is nearly 3,000 more than the existing in-patient unit would be able to accommodate. In total, the new in-patient unit will positively affect the lives of about 100,000 members of our community through the care it will provide for patients and their family members over the next 25 years.

Our Buy a Brick campaign invites people to contribute to the build by buying a brick for €25, €100, or €250 and then leaving their name or message on a Virtual Community Support Wall.

Brendan urged everyone to embrace the project. “I know first-hand how difficult end-of-life care can be for families. Hospice care is magical in terms of the respect, dignity and compassion it offers to people receiving palliative care. This new unit will provide the privacy, comfort, and highest quality facilities that people need and deserve.”

Construction at the site is due to begin next year and will also include an underground carpark and clinical support facilities with a pedestrian bridge linking it to the existing building.

The Buy a Brick campaign will run from today until the new in-patient unit is completely paid for. You can participate by visiting our Buy a Brick web page  or contacting the Fundraising Department at 01-8327535.

Since 1989, our locality has experienced the largest population growth in Ireland and that growth continues. Our society is ageing and how each person choses to live with the their medical conditions is changing. People are accessing palliative care in different ways, often dipping in and out of services as their need changes.

That is why St. Francis Hospice is now undertaking on our most ambitious ever development project by redeveloping our Raheny in-patient unit.
Improving quality of life for patients and their loved ones. The new in-patient unit in Raheny, which will be similar to that in Blanchardstown, will provide:

• 24 individual rooms to replace the current multiple bed facilities, enabling professional palliative care in an even safer care setting.
• 32m2 each en-suite room allows loved ones to stay with patients in comfort and to sleep overnight if desired
• 2 family overnight rooms with sofa beds, bathrooms, kitchen area and adjoining children’s playroom
• Outdoor garden: all 24 south or south-west facing rooms lead onto landscaped garden area Improving quality of life for patients and their loved ones.

“I don’t think you realise, until you’re in the
situation, how critical the Hospice is and how
important it is to be close to you…to be a part of
your community so that you can use it and
benefit from it…It is so much easier for the
patient and family if it is close to you and it is
normal and not abstract.”

Sheena McElroy, wife of patient Eamon McElroy.

Click here to watch a walk through video of the new in-patient unit.