EXCLUSIVE
The landmark St Finan’s Hospital building in Killarney, vacant since the facility closed in 2012, is irreplaceable in terms of its architectural heritage and Kerry County Council has an obligation to ensure that architectural inheritance is protected and conserved to pass on to future generations.
That was the key recommendation in a report undertaken at the request of Kerry County Council Chief Executive, Moira Murrell, following a call by Cllr Brendan Cronin for the protection status of the hospital to be examined.
A comprehensive report prepared by the council’s Acting Director of Planning, Paul Neary, said the building has a rating of being of national importance and as having special architectural, artistic, historical and social values.
Structures with that status make a significant contribution to the architectural heritage of Ireland and are considered to be of great architectural significance in an Irish contest.
The current legislative background in regard to protective structures flows from the 1985 Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe published by the Council of Europe. St Finan’s was added to the Record of Protected Structures, following a statutory public process, by the now defunct Killarney Town Council in November 2002.
Mr Neary’s report – a copy of which has been seen by KillarneyToday.com – has stressed that a declaration issued to the owners of the property, in 2002, stated that the interior of the building is not designated for protection and consideration could be given to the removal to some of the extensions to the building as they detract from the original structure.
“It is considered that the declaration issued offers significant scope to incentivise the renovation and reuse the landmark building while striking a balance in ensuring that the external fabric of the original building is retained and preserved,” Mr Neary’s detailed report states.
Changes to the internal lay-out and use of internal rooms and corridors, changes to or the removal or addition of doorways, routine maintenance of the external façade and the refurbishment of the gate lodges on site would not affect the character of the structure and could be considered.
Works that would impact on the character of the building and would therefore require planning permission include external facades and finishes, changes to external windows and doors, external stonework and associated joints, external roof materials, gutters, drainpipes and other rainwater materials and the existing outdoor concrete ball alley located on site.
Mr Neary said the planning authority would work with any potential developer to assist in that regard.
The hospital was designed by specialist architects Woodward and Deane who were also responsible for the design of Queen’s College in Cork – now UCC – the Kildare Street Club, the museum building in Trinity College and the University Museum in Oxford.
Construction began in Killarney in 1849 and the facility opened in 1851.
The official report presented to the Kerry County Council CEO states that the St Finan’s building is an outstanding example of the Gothic Revival style and features of significant architectural detail include the steeply pitched gable projections, the high quality stone masonry and roof construction as well as oriel window detailing and canted bay windows.
The report adds that the building is associated with a high level of institutional and church building that occurred in Killarney at the time of the Famine.
“Its link with the human endeavour executed just after the close of the Famine, when the country was demographically, socially and economically decimated, is profoundly important,” Mr Neary’s report stated.
The structure takes on a greater level of social importance given the help it provided to the population after the Famine.
“Before its opening, these members of our society had nowhere to go. It demonstrates the beginning on institutional care or members of society that are in need. Its continuing contribution to the social fabric of Killarney, its prominent elevated, south-facing position over the town, has formed a backdrop, both physically and socially, for centuries,” Mr Neary’s report stated.
Stressing the need for the local authority to protect the architectural integrity of the Health Service Executive owned building, the report stressed that its removal from the Record of Protective Structures could not be conscientiously considered.
Cllr Brendan Cronin had asked the council executive to reconsider the designation of the building given that it is a strategically important site and the protected structure designation is a major impediment to any development or use of the building and adjacent lands.
He fears that it will become a derelict eyesore like similar buildings in other counties and cities.
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