'It is keeping families together': Protest held to keep Owenacurra mental health centre open

Queries into the details of these costs have not been addressed by the HSE, the protest heard, despite families’ strong wish the building should be renovated not shut down.

Fine Gael TD for Cork East David Stanton told a large crowd on Saturday the situation has been handled “very, very badly”.

Concerns around the cost of renovating an under-threat mental health centre in East Cork have been referred to the Public Accounts Committee, a large protest heard on Saturday.

The Owenacurra mental health centre is being shut down because the HSE found the 1970s buildings to be not fit for purpose and the potential cost of renovations too high, managers recently told the Oireachtas sub-committee on mental health.