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History of the Building
The building within which the Clare Museum is housed was originally a Sisters of Mercy school and chapel. The congregation came to Ennis in 1854 at the invitation of Parish Priest Dean John Kenny. Row House, on the site of the present Temple Gate Hotel was adapted for the use of the Sisters. A former occupant was Charles O'Connell, cousin of Daniel O'Connell who often visited the house during his 1820's campaign for Catholic Emancipation. The sisters soon became involved in teaching. A new convent was built in 1861 to accommodate the growing number of sisters and Row House was incorporated into it.
The section
that is now the Clare Museum was constructed as a primary school in 1865 and
the final portion of the convent complex, a chapel and classrooms was erected
in 1869. As well as schools, the order had an orphanage and several small
industries.Sisters from Ennis convent established foundations overseas: in
Connecticut (1872) and California (1859, 1963) in the United States; in New
South Wales, Australia (1875) and Hokitika, New Zealand (1878). Branch houses
and schools were also set up in Killaloe and Spanish Point, as well as in
Colaiste Muire in the town of Ennis. The sisters acted as administrators and
nurses in the workhouses in Ennis, Corofin, and Roscrea.In 1995 the main convent
building was demolished, with only the present section surviving. The sisters
now live in smaller accommodation, but their work continues and many of the
schools which they founded still flourish.
Description of the Project
The surviving section of the convent building, formerly St Xavier's School and Chapel, was scheduled for inclusion in the Derelict Sites Register, and transformed from a dilapidated building into a major cultural resource.
The Museum was developed by Ennis Urban District Council in association with Clare County Council and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht & the Islands. Financial assistance of £1,000,000 was received from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht & the Islands under the Cultural Development Incentive Scheme under the Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-1999. The character of St Xavier's School and Chapel has been retained and the new Museum development has been carried out in accordance with the character of the building prior to redevelopment.
The combined floor area of the museum at present is 7,500 square feet. In the future this area will increase as the Council Chamber which is currently incorporated into the building will be assimilated into the museum proper to provide an audio-visual educational facility.