1864 – Former Convent of Mercy, Kilrush, Co. Clare

Funded through a public subscription list, construction began in 1862 and was completed two years later in 1864. This is a nine-bay three-storey over basement convent by J.J. McCarthy (1817-82) on a u-shaped plan with a large gabled end bay as full-height chapel and seven-bay two-storey return to the north. Finished in stone – snecked limestone walls with cut-stone detailing. From certain angles the array of pointed windows and grey stonework can seem overwhelming – the spire suggested in the drawing remained just that, suggested.

The convent remained operational until the 1990s when a new community school opened and since has sat vacant. Until recently the interior of the chapel still had original mosaic decoration and stained-glass windows intact – the large window in the chapel has sustained damage during a storm.