- The Convent of Mercy in Schull, West Cork, was listed at €750,000
- The sisters opened a primary school on the Mizen Peninsula in 1904 and a secondary school by 1921
- The five-bedroom, 3,100 sq ft house stands on 1.6 acres behind the church
- The order had sold a Cork city convent for €1.7 million the year before
The Sisters of Mercy are ending more than a century in the West Cork village of Schull and selling their convent, the Irish Examiner reported in November 2022. The Convent of Mercy was listed at €750,000 through John Hodnett of Hodnett Forde.
The sisters’ presence in Schull goes back 115 years. They set up a primary school on the Mizen Peninsula in 1904 and a full secondary school by 1921. Local education has since passed to national schools and Schull Community College, which opened in 1983.
The convent is a two-storey, five-bedroom house of about 3,100 square feet on 1.6 acres, just off Main Street and behind the church. It has four en-suite bedrooms, three reception rooms, a kitchen with an Aga, and views over Schull Harbour and Roaringwater Bay. The agent suggested it could be a private home or an accommodation business, with possible limited development.
The report noted that the order had sold a similar convent in Cork city the previous year for €1.7 million.
For Jamaicans abroad and returnees, the Schull sale shows how church property follows demographic change: as religious orders age, their houses, often in the best spots in town, return to private hands. A harbour-view house on more than an acre in a tourist village is also a hospitality opportunity. Similar questions arise for rectories and mission houses in Jamaica. Buyers should check planning options and the building’s condition, and sellers should consider who in the community might use the property best.
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