Lismore House Hotel
A former hotel in the centre of Lismore, Co. Waterford that has operated as an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) direct provision centre since early 2023. The building — Ireland's oldest purpose-built hotel, dating to 1797 and a protected structure — closed as a hotel in 2016 and was acquired by Cork-based MCHT in 2021 before being repurposed for accommodation. The Department of Children announced it would house international protection applicants on a phased basis, with up to 117 residents (mainly women and families). In January 2025 An Bord Pleanala ruled that the works to convert the protected structure for IPAS use require planning permission. The centre appears in the gov.ie IPAS County Waterford 2025 inspection collection with a published inspection report.
Capacity
117
people (reported)
Per night
€84
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€3.6m
estimated
Background
The site is at Lismore House Hotel, Main Street, Lismore, Co. Waterford. Irish international protection accommodation is provided through IPAS (the International Protection Accommodation Service), under the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. For how the system works and what it costs, open the cost panel on the interactive map with Ireland selected.
Incidents & reporting
Only events reported by named outlets and explicitly tied to this site are listed. Charges are allegations, not convictions — the presumption of innocence applies.
- Jan 2025Planning ruling — permission required
An Bord Pleanala rules IPAS conversion requires planning permission
An Bord Pleanala ruled that the modifications made to Lismore House Hotel, a protected structure, to use it as an IPAS accommodation centre require planning permission, overturning an earlier view by Waterford City and County Council that the works were exempt. The board said an architectural impact assessment was needed to show the character of the protected structure would not be adversely affected. This is a planning-law determination; no wrongdoing or offence is alleged.
TravelExtra · source
- Jan 2023Peaceful protest
Peaceful protest over lack of consultation on direct provision centre
According to RTE, more than 200 people gathered for a peaceful protest on Lismore's main street objecting to the lack of community consultation over the centre, which was to accommodate up to 117 people seeking international protection on a phased basis. A spokesperson for Minister Roderic O'Gorman cited the emergency need to accommodate those seeking refuge in Ireland.
RTE · source
Cost
Irish IPAS accommodation is funded by the State. At a blended benchmark of about €84 per person per night (the 2024 whole-system average reported by RTÉ), the 117 people reported here imply roughly €3.6m per year. This is an order-of-magnitude figure for context only, not a site-specific invoice — over 90% of IPAS accommodation is commercially provided and emergency rates run far above State-owned centres.
Sources
gov.ie / IPAS — Inspections of Direct Provision and EROC Centres in County Waterford 2025 · 2025. View source
Coordinates geocoded from the published address/town via OpenStreetMap; status reflects the cited reporting and may have changed since.