St Attracta’s Residence opens magnificent new extension

St Attracta’s Residence, Hagfield, Charlestown held the official opening and blessing of its new extension on Friday, May 29th, 2026.

The opening of the Wild Atlantic Suite and the addition of 15 new single en-suite bedrooms to St Attracta’s brings the overall capacity of the progressive and modern, family-owned and operated residence to 75 beds.

St Attracta's Residence opened its doors in 1992 under the care and management of the Donohue family. It was built by Martin and Kathleen Donohue, who later handed the reins to their son Martin and his wife Trina who are today in charge of the facility, alongside Person in Charge/Director of Nursing Alison Moore. The facility is well-placed in a peaceful, rural setting, and it is only 3km from Ireland West Airport Knock. It is conveniently located for family travelling overseas to go and see their loved ones.

Trina told the Western People that the new extension represents a major upgrade to St Attracta’s, allowing enhanced facilities for the residents. 

“There is more space now, and the increase in capacity is welcome. The forecasting data indicates that Mayo will have a shortage of beds for elderly people, and we are always doing our best to be ready for the future,” she said. “A number of our bedrooms have direct garden access, and our patients can go out for a walk on a fine day. Many residents love a walk in the garden and this ‘own door’ option gives them independence and a home from home feeling.” 

With 75 bedrooms, life at St Attracta’s is busy, but the team of 95 employees work diligently to ensure they achieve their goal of delivering the highest possible standard of care to each of their residents and do so in a comfortable, safe, and caring setting. The types of care provided and delivered includes long-term, short-term, convalescent, respite, post-operative, palliative and end-of-life care, dementia care, day care, and weekend care, across low, medium and high to maximum-dependency levels. The residents have a wonderful array of activities, from knitting, therapies, outings, painting and much more, to keep them stimulated, with a full-time activities team and weekly schedule in place. St Attracta's Residence also has a full-time physical therapist, who Trina says is a huge asset as he provides dedicated one-to-one rehabilitation and physical therapy programmes to residents.

“We are a key employer in the Charlestown area, and our staff are dedicated to the goal of providing the highest standards of care to older, and often vulnerable, people,” she said. “We have a busy, busy house here, but we have an amazing team of kind people. This is hugely important to the culture and atmosphere of the home and how it runs.” 

She paid tribute at the opening to the founders of St Attracta’s, Kathleen and Martin Donohue, who opened their doors officially in May 1992 and who have worked tirelessly for the past 34 years to ensure a well-ran progressive nursing home.

Speaking at the opening, Director of Nursing Alison Moore, said: “We would like to say a very big heartfelt thank you to all of our staff across every department who constantly strive to do the best for every resident in our care. Their work is very busy, full on and demanding but they always give their very best to ensure our family of residents receive the highest standard of care. This nursing home would be nothing without them”.

The official opening and blessing of the Wild Atlantic Suite extension commenced with Mass, which was celebrated by Fr John Maloney, Fr Tommy Johnson and Fr John Doherty, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Invited guests included residents and their families, staff, Senator Mark Duffy, TD Paul Lawless and local Councillor Gerry Murray. 

During the speeches, tribute was paid to the many stakeholders who work closely together to ensure the efficient operation of the nursing home including its staff, suppliers, GPs, pharmacy, maintenance contractors and many more. In the afternoon, St Attracta's held its annual barbecue. With live music, a marquee, and great food on offer, it is a highlight of the St Attracta’s calendar and a wonderful day for residents and staff alike.