Saint Dympna's Hall, almshouse in County Meath

What is recorded here

Saint Dympna's Hall in Kildalkey went from almshouse to school to hall. Turning a former school into a hall is a splendid local revenge: get back inside, talk as loudly as you like, and move all the chairs without asking.

Detached six-bay two-storey almshouse, built 1856, comprising of two central bays flanked by gabled and advanced end bays. In use as school, 1888-1931. Adapted to use as hall, 1951. Pitched slate roofs with rendered chimneystacks and cast-iron rainwater goods. Rendered walls with stone eaves course and quoins. Timber sash windows with stone surrounds and sills, set in square-headed openings to ground floor and set in segmental-arched openings to first floor. Stone door surrounds with cornices and plaques above. Modern extension to south and sports hall to west.

The scale and form of this mid nineteenth-century almshouse make a positive contribution to the streetscape. The survival of many original features and materials enhance the architectural form of the almshouse. The façade is enlivened by the stone dressings.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 14325002

This does not grant access. Most recorded buildings are privately owned; view them only from public ground unless the owner allows entry.