Garden party as Dunshaughlin Care Home officially opened

Community celebration as minister opens €20m residential home

Residents of Dunshaughlin Care Home and members of the local community were joined by representatives of national organisations for the official opening of the Dunshaughlin Care Home on Thursday last by the Minister of State for Older Persons and Housing, Kieran O'Donnell.

Dunshaughlin Care Home, a purpose-built, €20 million state-of-the-art care home offering 96 single en-suite bedrooms, is the tenth and newest addition to Grace Healthcare's high-quality residential care homes.

The care home on the town's Dublin Road is designed to provide comfort, dignity, and a true sense of home, where residents benefit from beautifully designed communal spaces and tranquil landscaped gardens, all within a care model grounded in compassion and personal connection, according to Rioghnach Murphy, CEO of Grace Healthcare.

The 61 current residents gathered on a gloriously sunny morning to be entertained by singer, Damien Dunne, in a garden party atmosphere, while guests included Minister of State for European Affairs and Meath East TD, Thomas Byrne, Deputy Darren O’Rourke, Trevor Moore, Principal Officer at the Department of Health, Tadgh Daly, CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI), Cllrs Gerry O'Connor and Fionnan Blake, and representatives from Age Action, the Alzheimer’s Society, the HSE, Meath County Council, Dunshaughlin and Royal Gaels GFC, which the care home sponsors, as well as neighbouring Colaiste Ríoga secondary school.

“We are proud to bring this exceptional home to the Dunshaughlin community, and delighted to become an active member of this thriving town, Rioghnach Murphy,” added. "Dunshaughlin Care Home reflects our core belief that every older person deserves to live with links to the local community and individualised care. Our team are privileged to support residents in creating positive experiences and living meaningful lives in a safe, welcoming, and vibrant environment, and we are also excited to open our doors to residents, and to new colleagues with the creation of 100 new jobs.”

The new home will create over 100 full-time permanent jobs across nursing, care assistance, housekeeping, kitchen, facilities, and administration roles, and Grace Healthcare is currently recruiting for a variety of these positions.

"I am delighted to officially open Dunshaughlin Care Home, a facility that sets a very high standard in residential care for older persons through dedication and person-centred care for residents, Minister O'Donnell stated.

“The creation of over 100 new jobs within Meath is also very welcome news,” he added.

Rioghnach Murphy said that while it was a building to be proud of, "what makes it a home is the people," and she thanked the residents for choosing it to be their home, and their families for their trust and partnership.

"We are really privileged to be part of your lives." She thanked the team at Dunshaughlin Care Home for their commitment, professionalism and kindness, before the first resident, Jim Dunne, joined Minister O'Donnell for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.