St. Joseph's Convent
St. Joseph's Convent is a former convent in Fermoy, North Cork, used as an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centre. It appears in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth's official gov.ie collection of inspections of Direct Provision and EROC centres in County Cork for 2024 and 2025, each with a published inspection report. According to the Irish Examiner, residents began arriving in late November 2022; the centre accommodates families, couples and single women (management stated there are no single males), with a published capacity of 77 people across 19 ensuite bedrooms. Residents are provided three meals a day and have access to English-language classes. The Irish Examiner reported the department later indicated capacity could be expanded in phases.
Capacity
77
people (reported)
Per night
€84
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€2.4m
estimated
Background
The site is at Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland. 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.
- Dec 2022Peaceful protest
Anti-immigration protests over use of convent for asylum accommodation
According to the Irish Examiner, the centre's management held a public meeting and rejected concerns raised by local protesters after asylum seekers were housed at St Joseph's Convent in late 2022, stating the facility accommodated families, couples and single women and that there were no single males on site. The reported protest activity was a peaceful community demonstration.
Irish Examiner · 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 77 people reported here imply roughly €2.4m 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 Cork 2025 · 2025. View source
Coordinates geocoded from the published address/town via OpenStreetMap; status reflects the cited reporting and may have changed since.