Almost a year after its scheduled opening date, the new Killarney Community Nursing Unit remains unopened, prompting growing frustration among councillors, local representatives, and families across Kerry.

The €30 million facility, located beside on the grounds of St Finan’s, was originally due to open in December 2024. However, despite being fully constructed, the building has not yet been handed over to the HSE.
The delay was raised again at this week’s meeting of Kerry County Council, where Cllr. Brendan Cronin tabled a motion calling for the HSE to publicly clarify the situation.
Cllr. Cronin’s motion read:
“To call on the HSE to publicly clarify the unacceptable situation where families with elderly relatives requiring long-term nursing home care are being offered beds in homes outside Kerry while a newly built 130-bed facility in Killarney remains unopened and gathering dust.”
He said the ongoing delays were “unacceptable” and that the lack of communication from the HSE was adding to public frustration.

The HSE has stated that residents from the older buildings at Killarney Community Hospital and St Columabus’ Home will be moved to the new facility next year, but this is more than a year after the promised opening date.
According to the HSE, the delay is linked to the final inspection process and sign-off requirements before the building can be formally handed over and occupied. However, councillors say that process has now gone on far too long.
Cllr. Cronin said families across Kerry are frustrated that people in need of long-term care are being offered places outside the county while the state-of-the-art Killarney unit sits unused.
“There are families whose loved ones have had to move to homes in Cork and Limerick. That’s not acceptable when we have a brand-new 130-bed facility here in Killarney,” he said.

Issue raised in the Dáil

The issue was also raised in the Dáil this week by Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae, who called on the Minister for Health and the HSE to explain the ongoing hold-up.
Deputy Healy-Rae told the Dáil that the delay in opening the new facility is now holding up other important healthcare projects in the Killarney area.
“In Killarney, we have a new district hospital. It is built,” he said.
“When is it going to open? So much else is dependent on it. We need a new Primary Care Centre in Killarney, and the grounds are there. But until the old district hospital and St. Columbanus Home are vacated and incorporated into the new hospital, those projects can’t move forward.”
He also highlighted the need for a Minor Injuries Clinic in Killarney, which he said is being delayed as a result.
“At times, there could be up to 10,000 people in Killarney during the summer. The pressure on University Hospital Kerry’s Emergency Department could be eased significantly if we had a Minor Injuries Clinic here,” he said.
“We’re asking seriously for this to be prioritised.”