O’Shea Calls for Reopening of Cooleens House in Charleville 

Cork North West Fine Gael TD, Deputy John Paul O’Shea, has this week called on St. Joseph’s Foundation and the HSE South West Disability Services to take immediate action to fully reopen Cooleens House, Charleville — a vital respite centre for children with disabilities and their families in North Cork.

Cooleens House has been effectively closed on a full-time basis since the Covid-19 pandemic, with no regular overnight respite being provided to families. This prolonged closure is having a serious impact on local families who depend on the service to support their children’s needs and their own wellbeing.

“This situation is simply unacceptable,” Deputy O’Shea said. “Families across North Cork — many of whom are under enormous pressure — have been left without a vital service for years. Respite care is not a luxury; it is an essential support for children with complex needs and their parents. The delay in reopening Cooleens House is causing unnecessary hardship and distress.”

While St. Joseph’s Foundation has confirmed that interim supports such as weekend clubs, home support, and outreach services have been provided to some families, other families have no supports. Even for those accessing other supports, the absence of overnight respite remains a major gap in provision.

Deputy O’Shea added “St. Joseph’s Foundation have confirmed to me that they hope to be in a position to re-open Cooleens in 6-8 weeks and I sincerely hope this commitment is kept. We cannot have any further delays”.

Deputy O’Shea continued “Since Covid, families have been promised repeatedly that Cooleens House would reopen, yet here we are 5 years later and still waiting. The HSE and St. Joseph’s Foundation must treat this with the urgency it deserves. Recruitment issues cannot be allowed to drag on indefinitely — children’s lives and family wellbeing are at stake.”

Cooleens House previously provided essential overnight respite to families across the region, giving parents and carers much-needed time to rest, recharge, and manage the challenges of caring for a child with a disability.

“I am calling on both the HSE South West and St. Joseph’s Foundation to work on reopening of Cooleens House without any further delay and to ensure that it is restored to full-time operations” 

Deputy O’Shea concluded “This is a matter of dignity, fairness, and basic support for some of the most vulnerable children and families in our community. They cannot wait any longer.”