Cuan Mhuire started in 1966 in a room in the Convent of Mercy, Athy.  Later it had the use of the ‘Old Dairy’.  Soon, however, these facilities could not accommodate the number of people seeking help for addiction.  In 1972, the first purpose-built Cuan Mhuire was developed by Sr. Consilio and the men she had helped. It was located on a 50-acre farm near the town of Athy.  In 1992, this campus was greatly extended with the practical help and support of her brother, John Fitzgerald.  It was through John’s exceptional talents, his quiet unconditional generosity and his leadership that the many Cuan Mhuire centres were built across the country to support persons seeking help for addiction and the contained support when in recovery.

Our Ballybay House opened in 2016 and is Transitional Accommodation for up to 10 men who have successfully completed their programme in one of our main treatment centres, many of our residents are homeless at the time of their referral and admission to Cuan Mhuire Ballybay. We provide our residents with a safe place to continue with their recovery and provide one-to-one professional counselling during their stay with us. Residents usually stay with us for up to 1 year before moving back into independent living with continued support from Cuan Mhuire.

In addition to our transitional accommodation, we also have a small community centre wherein members of the local community attend various meetings such as AA, GA and other events throughout the year.

With the support of FoodCloud and their partners, we have been in a position to provide additional support and services to the local community who find themselves in need of food parcels, particularly at Christmas. This would not be possible without the help and continued support of FoodCloud Ireland, particularly in the current economic climate, and we look forward to working with FoodCloud in the future.